VAl Kavanaugh

Val spent most of her working life teaching English, first at Berlin Central High School and later at Hudson Valley Community College. She believes in the power of literature, drama and art to open people’s minds to situations and possibilities they wouldn’t have imagined based on their own life experiences. She also believes in the need people have to be able to tell their own stories to others who will listen to understand. 

She’s taught creative writing to teenagers and memoir writing to older adults, and worked with her colleague, Sue Frost, to write and direct children’s drama programs. They’ve directed a number of shows at Sand Lake Center for the Arts, including The Crucible and Fiddler on the Roof. Val has also written short plays that have been staged in the Albany area. 

Life experiences that have changed Val’s own viewpoints include traveling numerous times to Guatemala to work as a translator with Glens Falls Medical Mission and also working as an ESN teacher for refugees from Afghanistan and immigrants from Central America. Meditation practice, spending time in nature, and working with meaningful community projects are all important to her