Head of School's Blog

I am feeling exhausted and fulfilled as we head into the weekend. I have loved our J-Term the last two weeks, and I particularly enjoyed having more time to spend with students.

Monday, I was tapped to teach a history class for MLK Day on Bacon's Rebellion and the "invention of whiteness" as a social construct (I might write more on that topic, but it is too big for a Friday afternoon...). The students were terrific and elevated the discussion to a very high level of inquiry. Director of Equity, Justice, and Belonging Lisa Munoz created an excellent program for the day around her theme of "joy and justice." Lisa brought many of us out of our comfort zones Monday night when we were asked to learn the tango! I thank and apologize to all the students who looked up and saw that their head of school was their next dance partner! I had a blast.

I recently purchased a new Ooni Pizza Oven for the school and hosted a pizza-making event on Tuesday night. It was a huge success and a ton of fun. We made over thirty pizzas over the course of three hours. I loved seeing the different creations of the students. Thanks to Chiarra and Eden for all their help setting up and to Joe and Mazeo for cleaning up. 

On Wednesday, I watched the alpine team hosting a race at Crotched Mountain and the girls' basketball team cruising to a comfortable victory over Stoneleigh-Burnam. Our skiers do not get many spectators, so it was good to see their smiles after some intense racing.

While our staff has been teaching their J-Term classes, I have been leading small sessions with our students to talk about the culture they want to create as we emerge from the more difficult months of the pandemic. These have been powerful discussions, and I look forward to sharing what they have been writing about and discussing. Creating a unique, inspiring, and supportive culture is probably the most important thing we can do for young people.

Finally, today I went around to the various presentations that were offered by our J-Term classes. I could not be prouder of our students and faculty as I reflect on the work that has taken place over the last two weeks. We are truly living our mission as we foster and embrace the curiosity of our students.

And it snowed today!