Phew! As I sit here at my desk between games at Sports Saturday I find myself still trying to catch my breath after such an action-packed start to the year. From our spirited senior “run-in” to our First Friday celebration, to our It’s Academic match last weekend and then Flag Football yesterday, we are on a roll here at the High School.
Even after being a part of this community for some 20 years, I still marvel at the level of energy that is released every day from these Mighty Hoppers. A new teacher said to me, “This place is electric. I’ve never seen anything like it.” I know I’ve reflected similarly over the years and have often thought that this energy, if it could be captured, could run a small city—no question.
I happened to host a lunch for our new teachers last month where several made comments in support of this theme. Most notably, they commented on how they drew on this energy to fuel them through the exhaustion they were feeling. (I didn’t have the heart to tell them that it wasn’t a new teacher thing—it’s actually a constant state of being from here on out.) When I asked where they thought that energy came from, they readily agreed with one teacher’s assessment that it was the intense engagement of our students that isn’t just in the classroom, but seems to seep into every nook and cranny of the school.
I’ve often had parents thank me for the role that the School has played in the development of their child, but I am always quick to point out that it is all of us working together that allows for this growth and development.
And so I invite GDS parents to engage in this community as well, and to take advantage of the host of community events (such as Sports Saturday) that occur every year. When we all take part, the fabric that holds us together has a much tighter weave, and we become an even stronger support system for our students.
Several events that I would like to lift up in particular—and that speak to this idea of partnership—fall under the umbrella of our parent education series. In addition to Monday’s parent education speaker Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Over Parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, we’ll also have Ron Leiber, author of The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money at the HS later in the month.