What I’m Grateful For
With Thanksgiving days away, we turn our attention to gratitude. Brimming donation boxes from the 9th-grade food drive adorn the lobby. Tuesday’s all-school meeting will feature short talks by a handful of juniors and seniors who will tell the community about something they are grateful for. It is good for the soul to pause, reflect, and share the blessings we enjoy.
I’d like to take a moment here to express my personal gratitude to this community. I often share (brag, really) with colleagues at other schools that our parent community is like no other. Like their children, our parents value learning, challenge, and growth for their own sake, even in a society that tends to focus too narrowly on college lists and grade outcomes. They trust the school and our extraordinary teachers in a way that has become all too rare. Our students, too, are one of a kind. I have yet to visit another school where curiosity and kindness are the expectation and weaved into the cultural fabric like they are here. I have been meeting groups of seniors for lunch recently. They often ask how we select for those traits in admissions, how we perpetuate that culture day to day, and how they, as leaders in the community, can help. They recognize how rare this student culture is, and I love their desire to preserve it for another generation.
Finally, a thank you to my colleagues on the faculty and staff – the heart of this great school. Our teachers bring an unusually deep well of knowledge, fitting guides for a school filled with kids thirsty to know more. The teachers and staff – including those who will sacrifice sleep and time with their families to chaperone Lock-In tonight! – lean into and model the work ethic, high standards, creativity, and kindness we expect from our students. Most of all, they love these young people. That love opens the door to learning and growth – and to lifelong mentoring relationships. I feel so lucky to work with these remarkable colleagues. I hope that you will join me by taking some time during this holiday season to thank a teacher, advisor, coach, or mentor who has made a difference in your life or in your family’s life.
I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.