One of the benefits of teaching at the same school for many years is having siblings in my class. Erin Hanson followed her brother Brian in my class, and I was thrilled to have her in class along with her wonderful, involved parents, Doug and Elaine. I love that my class each year becomes a classroom family, and having parents involved both in and out of the classroom has made a tremendous difference. I remember Erin as an enthusiastic, well-behaved student who made friends easily. She was so excited to come to Topanga Elementary, following in her brother’s footsteps. I have stayed in touch with Elaine over the years, and had heard a bit about what Erin was doing, but was very happy to have Erin, herself, fill me in. Erin Hanson, Using Music for Social Change Erin is 28 years old and culminated from Topanga Elementary Charter School in 2003. What do you remember about your experience at TECS? Activities participated in? Teachers you remember? Friendships? Is there anything that really had an impact on you? I have nothing but fond memories of Topanga Elementary. It provided such a unique, tight-knit community feel that I now know was incredibly rare. I have friendships that started there that have lasted to today—not only people in and around my year, but also my kindergarten little buddy! One of my fonder memories is the yearly book fair that took place in the auditorium. I was lucky enough that my mom organized and ran it while my brother and I were students there, so I got to spend extra time amongst the books. Between that and how much effort Mrs. Metzenbaum put into spreading the love of reading, it makes total sense why I’m still such an avid reader today. I have the unique situation of being a fourth generation Topangan, and I’m certain that growing up in this community strongly influenced where I am in life now. It’s such a special place to be raised and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I am so lucky that my parents still live there and are active members of the community, so that I can stay involved.