August 23

We’re off and running into a new school year. From faculty and staff to each of our students, we have accepted the challenge to Dream Big, working together to make those dreams come true. And what would be my dream for our school and for our students this year? Well, I’d love for all of us to work together to ensure that this school continues to be a place where everyone feels welcomed, encouraged, accepted, appreciated, and celebrated for who they are and the unique talents they bring to our community.

As I reminded our students on our first day of school, each one of us carries gifts inside of us. But like a beautifully wrapped gift that goes unopened, how sad it would be if we chose not to open the gifts we have been given. Would not the gift-giver feel a bit of sadness that something special was left “on the shelf?” If he has a love for singing, then let him sing. If she lights up when on stage performing, then encourage her to perform. If she shines in math class, showing excitement over the challenge of equations, then by all means celebrate that love for math. Or perhaps he thrills at the sense of inquiry that comes with scientific investigation; then let’s celebrate that gift as well. One of the daily thrills that we see in our school is the passion that is ignited on many levels by our faculty as students discover new gifts and talents in the classroom, on stage, in the athletic arena, or in academic competitions. It is our job to encourage the questions, aid in the discovery of answers, challenge minds, inspire hearts, and, in the process, be a part in a student’s discovery of self.

We are here to make good things happen for our students and for each other. Amidst the constant negative rhetoric that seems to be before us and our students every day, my dream for our school is that we will be able to demonstrate a different model. Beginning with kindness and compassion and ending in love, my dream is that our students will be an example of how a community can celebrate the variety of gifts and talents we can unwrap and share with one another, celebrating our diversity within an inclusive environment. As we all “Dream Big” for the year ahead, may we all choose to be kind, to show compassion to one another, to be a friend to many, and to show gratitude for the gifts and talents that are being discovered every day. The vision is lofty, but I believe that dreams do come true. At the end of the day, it will be our children that will make this world a better place. So off we go, as we make big dreams come true.

Margaret Moore

Head of School