Academy
Just As We Are
A few months ago, I was speaking with an Mt. Bethel family about an upcoming move. Their house had been on the market for many months with little activity but finally, a decent offer came through. They were clearly excited but they also seemed exhausted. When I mentioned this, the wife said, “I AM exhausted!…
On Island Time
Several years ago, I was in a meeting with Bill Bridges, our middle school principal, discussing our shared vision to expose our students to increasing opportunities to serve others. This conversation led to a complete reimagining of the middle school capstone trip series that has been several years in the making. The Washington, DC trip,…
Miss Maggie
My career in education began in June of 1991 at Brentwood Academy, a prep school south of Nashville. In the decade I served there, I learned a great deal from some of the most talented people I’ve ever had the privilege to know. But one of the people I remember most fondly, Miss Maggie, wasn’t…
Football, Faith, and Freedom
Parents of our sixth graders met recently to learn more about the capstone trip to Washington, DC at the end of May. Among the many things we will see there is an early copy of the Bill of Rights housed in the National Archives. Through low light and squinting eyes, students will strain to read…
Faith, Nurture, and Challenge
At our North Campus Open House last week, I met with several prospective families. I look forward to these encounters for a variety of reasons and chief among them is a healthy tension between message and moment. In the few moments I have with these families, I must try to distill the message of our…
Fighting Fear
Though we rightfully commemorate the birth of our nation on July 4th, America was embattled in war and occupied by foreign forces for another seven years after the Declaration of Independence. As it turned out, summoning the courage to declare our freedom from tyranny was simply the beginning of hard things for our forefathers who…
Extremism
We are a nation beset by extremism, both without and within. From a distance, we hear extremist rhetoric from North Korea, Iran, and elsewhere that incites violence and all too frequently results in bloodshed. From the halls of our own government, we hear extremist rhetoric that offends our most human sensibilities and all too frequently…
Resolutions
Happy New Year! It was so nice to welcome everyone back this week following our long Christmas break. I heard many stories about gifts given and received, trips to visit distant relatives and even a handful of New Year’s resolutions. Folks have used the occasion of the new year to resolve to do one thing…