June HEADlines
by Chris Williamson
Head of School
This time of year becomes a blur, filled with excitement, anxiety, accomplishment – and energy! The excitement is not just about looking ahead to summer. It comes from the pleasure of sharing in year end activities. As we finish May and prepare for June, we celebrate the spring sports season (which this year, if you blinked, you missed . . .), ninth graders share their history projects with classmates and families, our sixth graders perform the season closing Shakespeare play, we have the Upper School Performing Arts presentations, Teddy Bear Picnic to complete the K – 9 Buddy connection for the year, the Fourth Grade Heritage Day celebration (and feast!), third grade puppet show, completion of the time capsule for the Applewild Jubilee, ninth grade representation in the year end New England Student Design Woodworking competition, and many more such concluding celebrations. I look forward to the Parent Association Golf Tournament and thank the committee for its energy and commitment – and the Executive Team for its support of the school this year. I look forward to celebrating the PA volunteers at the PA appreciation breakfast on Tuesday morning, June 3. We finish the year with the Yearbook dedication, Moving Up ceremonies, Eighth Grade Luncheon, the Ninth Grade Graduation Dance, Recognition Day, and graduation itself – carefully planned by the ninth graders themselves.
How could this exciting slate of activities be anxiety producing? Anxiety does not simply result from final projects, Upper School exams and the press of time (or thinking about whether a golf shot will land in the fairway!); it can come from thinking about next steps. We work carefully with students all year long to prepare them for these next steps and very intentionally at year end, including very thoughtful step-up activities and leave takings. Each of our students is well prepared to move to the next class, up the hill, to the next division, or to their next school. Even as we celebrate this progress and growth, it is wise to realize that there can be some anxiety in thinking about change.
Accomplishments, of course, abound. Each student’s growth during the year provides significant milestones that have been affirmed throughout the year. Culminating events such as the Spring Concert and Art Shows are powerful ways of symbolizing each of these individual accomplishments. The Upper School Symphonic Band’s performance of Anthem for Applewild and the unveiling of the Jubilee mural remind us of our individual talents and strengths – and of how we can bring them together to make powerful statements, as these two “unveilings” so perfectly captured about joy and affirmation. We are also reminded that these accomplishments – and all in each classroom – spiral from well developed curricula: in this case from the coherent K – 9 art curriculum and the Lower School music program, including fourth grade recorder. Our student leaders reminded me of this progression when they spoke so confidently before the April Board of Visitors and at the May Board of Trustee meeting. They have been preparing for years on a daily basis to be articulate, poised, and engaging in their classrooms, in Common Time and the lunch room, and through their Upper School speeches.
One of Applewild’s strengths is how we succeed in stretching our students so that they discover that they are even more accomplished than they thought might be possible. That happens because we know and affirm each student – because of the strength, creativity and depth of caring of our faculty. The recent parent questionnaire confirmed how important parents understand faculty to be for a vibrant, healthy school. Attached are summary pages of the key findings. Note (page one of the attached – or click here for the on-line link) how much congruence there is between what parents say matters and what you say Applewild is good at. For example, the top two attributes are “Keeping students motivated/enthusiastic” and “Employing high quality teachers.” Note that those are among the categories where we “meet” or “exceed” expectations relative to these categories at Applewild.
Of course, all this derives from – and creates – energy. That was palpable Thursday at the Heritage Festival and the opening of Shakespeare: So Easy a Caveman Can Do It. We have been enjoying that energy – and the reminder of the importance of relationships – all year in this 50th Jubilee celebration of Applewild.
We also are seeing energy in our planning for the future. Our architect has begun to provide some preliminary concepts for the development of our campus plan that will include a proposed dining room, shop and music facilities, and improved classrooms for science, fourth and fifth grade in the Marshall Lower School. The dramatically improved renovation of faculty housing at Flat Rock is nearing completion, and we have four faculty members taking residency over the summer. Offering housing at below market rates has enabled us to attract and retain faculty since Applewild began, and I am delighted that this option remains so vibrant and attractive today.
Thank you for bringing your energy to our celebrations this year and in our planning for the future. I look forward to seeing you at some of the culminating events and to sharing with you the energy and accomplishment of our students!