With the introduction of this year’s “College, Community, and Career Day,” organized by SHS students, staff, and administrators, the seniors on The Scituation staff were presented with an opportunity to visit the Scituate Senior Center. There, student journalists were tasked with connecting “Senior-to-Senior” and bridging the gap between our communities.
I had the incredible opportunity to speak to Nancy Sargent Howell, a beloved Scituate artist. Howell grew up in Quincy but spent her summers in Scituate with her family. “My soul is here,” expressed Howell when reflecting on her childhood memories. “It was just so free and wonderful,” she remarked.
Although Howell lived in Quincy, she attended high school in Milton for the first two years of her upper education, then transferred to Beaver Day Country School, a school more directly focused on the arts. At that time, her first school didn’t encourage creativity or artistic expression, which didn’t suit her passions. After graduating from high school, Howell majored in art at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she had the opportunity to teach drawing classes. “My mind opened because of the arts,” said Howell. Through an education that not only offered the arts but encouraged them, Howell said she changed the course of her life for the better.
As her professional career in the arts continued to grow, Howell began teaching classes across America and even Europe, leading annual painting trips to Italy in 1989. Through her work with the arts, she developed her sense of self. Married at 19 years old, Howell said she occasionally struggled with traditional gender roles and finding her place in society: “I realized I was more than just my husband’s wife,” reflected Howell. The arts gave her the opportunity and confidence to explore her individuality and sense of belonging.
When asked about what advice she could offer to the younger generation, Howell recommended focusing on finding your own identity. With the addition of technology to childhood, Howell said students could lose their sense of self and focus on pleasing others. “I remember it myself–being influenced by other people and being the person I thought people wanted me to be,” she reflected. Through her rich life experience, Howell knows the value of being an individual.
Scituate High School’s “College, Community and Career Day” was more than a success. The Scituation staff’s experience at the Senior Center was not only exciting but exceptionally educational and fun–SHS seniors and Scituate senior citizens are seemingly more alike than people may think.