Reflections on the First Day

Sydney encouraged her classmates to stay involved in the life of the school and outlined a plan to make Student Council an organization that betters Drew on behalf of all students. Sydney’s speech shows we’re in good hands, and I'm looking forward to her continuing to find her voice as a leader.

 

Our new Dean of Students Emily Dutton spoke to the students with a message centered around care: care for oneself, care for one another, and care for the physical space we inhabit.

 

As I addressed the students, I spoke about the value of wholehearted engagement in the process of learning. A central component of being fully engaged in learning is maintaining a willingness to look foolish as you try new things. I assured the students that the teachers are fully engaged in this right alongside them: each faculty member was tasked to push themselves out of their comfort zone by learning something new this summer. This exercise is in preparation for a full curricular review we're launching this year (we'll talk more about that at Back to School Night).

 

Some faculty members tried their hand at musical instruments or new outdoor activities. I took what is, for me, a major risk and “learned” to tango.

 

You might assume that as an Argentine I have tango in my blood, but I can assure you that this is not the case. In fact, I’m not much for dancing at all—I don’t feel like it’s a strength of mine, and I am uncomfortable doing it. However, I accompanied my wife to a few tango classes over the summer to confront the discomfort and to push myself to learn.

 

The result? Well, I’m still not very good, and I’m still pretty uncomfortable. But I grew, and I learned that the path to taking risks is often paved by not taking ourselves too seriously, and instead allowing ourselves to be foolish.

 

As we navigate the 2018-2019 school year, inevitably we will each experience moments of triumph, struggle, and even failure—not unlike my experience on the dance floor. As I told the students, nothing rewarding or meaningful in life comes easily. As we find our individual and collective voices, it is important that we as a community support one another in these moments of success and foolishness. Today, as I look around campus, I know we took a major first step in that direction.

 

I invite you to join in and see a handful of images from the first day here.

 

On another note, you may have noticed that we launched a new website today with a sleek design and a new Drew video. We’re tremendously proud of the new site and we’re excited that it will be the first point of contact for prospective students and families as they discover Drew and apply for admission. I hope you enjoy it: www.drewschool.org.

 

Here’s to a great school year!

 

Warmly,
David Frankenberg
Head of School

 

P.S. If you experience any functionality issues or come across any errors on the new website, please contact Director of Communications Martin Voss at communications@drewschool.org.