Our school has a new friend: Ms. Laura Sonius. Ms. Sonius paid us a visit at Open Forum on January 21, 2026. She wanted to get to know the student body better and to tell us about her passion for education. Ms. Sonius has offered to help TGS with funds for improved classrooms, lab, and equipment.

Education is extremely important to Ms. Sonius’ whole family. Her Jewish grandpa escaped the pogroms in Russia and took refuge in America. At first, he traveled around working different jobs until he got tuberculosis and was disabled for two years. During this time, he read lots of books and educated himself so that he could better his family’s life. He created a very successful packaging material company. Her other grandfather was a hard worker who, after graduating from high school and working as an accountant, returned to college and became a lawyer. Thanks to her family history, she places a great emphasis on the value of schoolwork and college attendance as pathways to opportunity. She also takes her stewardship of the family legacy very seriously: “I was raised to help those who can’t help themselves,” she told us.

Ms. Sonius attended college, got a degree in English writing, and became an editor in Boston, before finally returning to school to get her teaching degree. Her experience in teaching has given her an even deeper appreciation for the needs of our education system. Ms. Sonius said that she saw great potential in each and every one of us at TGS.  She is graciously providing our school with extra funding for things like a state-of-the-art laboratory. “Buying fancy clothes and driving nice cars does nothing for others,” she said. “Education is my passion.” Thank you, Laura Sonius, for speaking with us and for your generosity!

By Nolan