A View from the Frontier

Dr. Corinna Crafton, Head of School, delivered her first Convocation Address at the 141st Convocation Ceremony on Thursday, September 7:

Beginning this year together creates for us what will be a mutual memory. We don’t know what the coming months will bring but we stand ready and eager to start. 

I would like to extend a special warm welcome to all new students, parents, faculty, and staff. 

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I am a Trekkie – that means a super fan of the Star Trek franchise, beginning with the original series from the 1960’s all the way to the present day series such as Picard, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds. The future is itself a strange new world – unknowable today but tantalizing and inviting.

In early May, we gathered on the nearby turf field to celebrate our 140th day of school during this, the 140th anniversary of Wardlaw+Hartridge. We recognize the precious legacy which has been entrusted to us as we stand on the shoulders of so many who have called W+H home over 14 decades and we are grateful to them. Seniors – you are already a part of that legacy and are about to embark on the next exciting chapter in a book that you largely write yourself. 

Thanksgiving approaches, the time of year which seems to always inspire lists of things: the best songs of the year, the best books, the best films. Making a list of things for which we are grateful is apt during this season of reflection and giving thanks.

There is much we can learn about the ways in which children (and adults too!) process, organize, and retrieve information and the way mindset and emotional regulation impact cognition.  

One of my favorite authors is Octavia Butler, the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship and winner of multiple Nebula and Hugo awards. Woven throughout her stories is an abiding sense of hope despite great odds against success. At Wardlaw+Hartridge, we can adopt Butler’s empowering vision of hope by living our core value of integrity, which means we cannot shrink from any truth.

Welcome to the frontier of a new school year! Although I have experienced decades of school openings, each year feels distinct and unique. What could be more exciting than the promise of discovery that accompanies the start of the new school year? September arrives brimming with opportunities to be brave and bold as we join with students and families to begin the next step in each individual student’s educational journey. I am honored to be part of this community of learners which inspires and encourages everyone, student and teacher alike, to face the frontier with hope and optimism.