The Greek writing on the chalkboard in Dr. Jim Stone’s office has been there for over seven years. It’s all that remains of an ancient Greek seminar he led for seven students nearly eight years ago.

Stone offered the course as a way to share his passion for Greek language, culture and literature with students.

“When I was your age, I had a passion, which I guess I still have, about literature, writing and foreign languages. In particular, the ones that had great literature,” said Stone. “I was instructed by many people to go to the original.”

While studying at Brandeis University, Stone focused on the classics and ancient Greek. He spent his junior year abroad in Greece.

“I learned modern Greek; it was easier than ancient Greek, and it allowed me to communicate with other people and really kind of get under the skin of the culture,” said Stone. “I would say my life changed. It was a turning point.”

After graduating from Brandeis, Stone lived on and off in Greece before returning to the United States on a fellowship to teach at Boston University. He taught Modern Greek for a year before deciding that the job was too unstable.

“I applied to graduate school in clinical psychology thinking, ‘I could probably do this,’ not knowing what the hell I was getting into,” said Stone.

Five years later, Stone graduated with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. One of the aspects of the program was that students had to participate in internships each year.

Stone’s first internship was at Wayland Middle School in 1989. After earning his doctorate, Stone got a full-time job at WMS.

“I didn’t plan on working in schools, but I’m damn glad I did,” said Stone. “It’s like being in graduate school for life because you’re constantly learning and having opportunities to observe lives unfolding over time. And you’re getting this privilege, if you earn it, to participate in the nitty-gritty of those lives.”

In 2000, Stone was hired as the Wayland High School psychologist.

“During my first couple of years here, I didn’t know what the bleep I was doing,” explained Stone. “It was a very hard job to figure out because there was no precedent. Wayland had not had a school psychologist for, oh my god, 20, 25 years.”

Because he moved from the middle school to the high school, Stone already knew many of the students.

“I think there was an assumption that ‘Oh Dr. Stone’s comin’ to the high school, we can ALL visit him and get counseling and get advice and whatever,’ so I had a massively out of control caseload for a number of years,” said Stone. “I loved it on the one hand, but on the other hand it also was difficult to juggle.”

After settling into his role as school psychologist, Stone decided to begin leading a summer trip to Greece for students.

The two and a half week trip immersed students in the language, culture and history of Greece.

“It was a lot of fun. It sort of took me by surprise, that kids would enjoy language stuff so much,” said Stone. “I think what they loved about it was that they could take what they were learning and go into the town and really kind of try stuff out, whether it was getting stuff or connecting with same-aged peers, and then come back and tell their stories.”

Stone’s daughter, Mina, a member of the WHS class of 2000, co-led a few of the trips with him. Stone led the trip for four consecutive years but stopped a few years ago because he was too busy.

Between his private practice, Greek translations and work at WHS, Stone has plenty to keep him busy. His responsibilities as school psychologist include working closely with the Alternative Learning Resource Team, serving as the primary evaluator for special education services and consulting with administrators on community-related issues.

The most rewarding part of Stone’s job continues to be working closely with students.

“It’s a great honor and privilege when students and families that I’ve worked with for a number of years, they get launched and come back a few years later and they’re real people,” said Stone. “They’re pretty well adjusted, or not, but they’re still coming back.”

By Jim Stone
a poem about my summer (the trippy version)      (9/12/11)

(assigned by my 8th grade english teacher                  and already a day late)     

           		  summer was very chill          she giggled
              like the popsicles I ate in Florida                     and hogged
                                         for myself             it was so cool
              watching my brothers drool 	                          and glare…
                               or the dream of ice caps              and polar bears
	                                               melting into extinction
                        or the other dream                  of dinosaurs
                         rampaging across the world             and the tiny mutated
                     fairies chasing	          after them….
                or that dream at the zoo                   the animals telling jokes
              they were really hilarious             until I woke up and
                            abruptly understood
              why the zebra was so offended
        (I really try hard not to remember  my dreams               most of the time except
                                                   when summer comes)
finally there was the dream               I just had last  night
                            about going to school               then I went
       to school the next day                   really
                                  I wish I never                had that dream
                                                        it was so chilling