The start of each school year is truly special. Whether you are a returning family or new to our community, September is a moment of promise, potential and limitless opportunity.
The start of each school year is truly special. Whether you are a returning family or new to our community, September is a moment of promise, potential and limitless opportunity.
Thank you to our current parents for entrusting us with your children’s education. It is a remarkable privilege.
Thank you, too, to my Admission Team, who successfully invited nearly 100 new families and students (and this number is still rising) to W+H to begin this school year. Welcome, welcome, welcome!
One of my most favorite things about this unique time of year is the physical re-opening of our campus. It’s the scent of freshly waxed floors. It’s the pristine, crisp shine of new books. It’s the colorfully refreshed bulletin boards and eye-catching new posters that decorate so many classrooms, hallways, and learning spaces. (Did I mention the incredibly beautiful Berry Performing Arts Center?)
But most of all, it’s the distinct white noise of laughter and bustling in our hallways; that one-of-a-kind mixture of excited student chatter and (occasional) adult direction. Nothing is quite as energizing as when our buildings are full again. In some ways, it reminds me of when my extended family comes together for holidays, minus the inevitable arguments here and there.
I am reading a book by Charles Vogl. It’s called The Art of Community. In it, he notes how shared values and goals strengthen a community and I couldn’t help but see the applications of his theories to W+H. He writes that, “Your community almost certainly values something more than outsiders do.”
I am grateful and proud that our community continues to prioritize diversity in all its forms; that we instill an enduring love of learning; that we cultivate critical thinking and creative problem solving skills; that we empower students to challenge themselves on the playing field or discover a hidden talent in our Performing Arts Center. These very real values and goals are critical to our successful development of Pioneering Thinkers. They bind us and separate us from other schools. In ways large and small, seen and unseen, they are what make us us.
In that same spirit of embracing and communicating our values and goals, I would like your help in welcoming new families. If you are interested in becoming one of our wonderful APAs (“Admission Parent Ambassadors”), please contact me personally.
Please note: The New Parent Reception is on Thursday, October 4 from 6-8 p.m. in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
Also, please like us on Facebook, join and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, and feel welcome to write positive comments about your W+H experiences on any of the school search websites, such as Great Schools and Private School Review.
Most importantly, please add your child’s W+H events to your social media calendars.
Again, welcome back to our current families, and welcome to our new ones. We are glad and grateful that all of you are here with us as we begin with great hope and humble confidence in this new school year.