School Opening
On Tuesday, September 1st we reopened our doors and celebrated the beginning of another school year. 260 students, new and returning, arrived on a beautiful, warm day, curious to see what the new year would be like. I had the opportunity to talk to them at our opening ceremony about the factors that determine what kind of a year theirs would be. While it is true that there are decisions that are out of their control, like their schedule and many elements of their curriculum, there are a multitude of decisions which they do control. In reality they have a lot of control of the year ahead, for they can choose their own actions, reactions and attitudes. The sixth graders, for example, will be putting on the Country Fair this year. The students didn’t get to decide that, the teachers did. So much of what that experience is like, however, is determined by the individual student. They get to decide if they will enjoy it or not and they get to decide how much they will take away from it. It is important for the students, and the rest of us, to remember just how responsible we are for our own experience. It can be tempting and convenient to shift that responsibility to others. It is wiser to realize the ownership we have of our own life. There is a positive feel in the school building this year. We are off to a great start and I am looking forward to seeing the years the students choose to have.
Greg Henderson