Cecilia Parkes got started as a Congregation Sinai madricha; will soon graduate with her K-12 theater teaching license
Cecilia Parkes has attended Congregation Sinai since she was about 5 years old. For as long as she can remember, Sinai has been a part of her identity. Her parents have always been deeply involved in the congregation—her father has long been the creator of the Purim shpiel, her mother ran the Purim carnival back when Parkes was a student, and today, her dad serves as co-president of the board.
Parkes seems to be what I would call a natural; teaching is simply in her bones. She became a madricha right after her bat mitzvah, and while she has only been teaching on her own for the past four years, she considers her experience to be much longer. “I consider being a madricha part of my teaching experience because Mrs. Vondra gave me those opportunities to step up and lead a class.” She had the opportunity to work alongside Lisa Vondra, who had once been her own teacher and is one of five people Parkes considers especially influential in both her journey to becoming an educator and in her life.
Because her dad was in charge of the Purim shpiels, Parkes naturally spent countless hours at rehearsals. Never one to sit on the sidelines, she insisted on having a role. At around 9 years old, she performed in her first Purim shpiel and has been part of them ever since. “That kind of fueled my passion for theater and this space of creativity and confidence.” Today, she has come full circle and now creates the Purim shpiel for the children.
For the past three years, Parkes has attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she is studying theater education. She will graduate this spring with her K-12 theater teaching license after completing student teaching placements at two Milwaukee Public Schools. She credits those early Purim shpiels at Sinai with putting her on this path. “It really was Sinai that fostered both of these loves. Sinai lit the tinder, and the outside world fueled that flame.”
At Nicolet High School, Parkes was introduced to a more traditional side of theater, studying under Laura Anderly and Colleen Lendt, two more educators she considers instrumental in shaping her future.
The final two people she made sure to mention were Rabbi Aggie Goldenholz, a longtime educator at Sinai, and “Mrs. McLean” from Glen Hills Middle School. “Mrs. McLean helped me realize that I didn’t need to be perfect for my teachers – that my teachers could still appreciate me for who I was.” Growing up, Parkes struggled with oppositional defiant disorder. She said McLean was the first teacher who truly saw her. Rather than focusing on her struggles, McLean worked alongside her, creating strategies to help her regulate her emotions in healthy ways. It is something Parkes says she will carry with her forever. “Mrs. McLean called me her brightest and her favorite, and it made me realize that I want to make kids feel that good. I want to make a kid feel seen and special, despite them having emotional issues and struggles.” That experience became a defining moment. Combined with her time as a madricha in Lisa Vondra’s classroom, it solidified her calling to become an educator. “Getting to actually teach and build these relationships with students is what sealed the deal.”
Today, Parkes works in the before- and after- school program at Cumberland Elementary in the Whitefish Bay School District, spends her summers working for Camp Alice Chester in East Troy, and teaches on Sundays at Congregation Sinai as both a specials teacher and building substitute.
Looking ahead to the upcoming school year, she’s excited to welcome more families into the school community and is especially looking forward to seeing what the congregation’s new rabbi, Ora Jacobsen, brings to the program. When asked what she hopes people know about her, Parkes answered simply: “I want people to know that to every family I’ve been able to teach and work with – it’s been an honor, and I am grateful to have learned from all of them.”
When Parkes isn’t working with children, she enjoys thrifting, antiquing, and visiting museums. But her favorite place to spend her free time is Hillel Milwaukee. “I love having a place to hang out with like-minded and different-minded people who share a community and are my age,” she said.
Writer Nicole Boico is the associate director of the Coalition for Jewish Learning of Milwaukee Jewish Federation. This regular feature, from the Coalition for Jewish Learning, is to celebrate local educators. To suggest someone for coverage, contact Boico at NicoleB@MilwaukeeJewish.org.
