1791 | March 2015

For our professional day this year, we made a decision to send our entire faculty down to the NAIS national conference at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Given that this massive event is in our neighborhood once every 7 – 10 years, this decision seemed like a no-brainer twelve months ago when we were setting the calendar for 2014-2015. But after six feet of snow, multiple snow days and delays, and having to confront the logistics of bussing employees and all of the other related logistics, I admittedly began to wonder last week. Pulling the ripcord and holding classes as per usual was looking better and better with each passing weather report. I am here to report that one week later, it was all worth it.  I would love to spend some time this month articulating the reasons why I can now say this with such confidence.

Heading to the national conference was an unprecedented chance for teachers to step out of their reality and enter into the national conversation about innovation in education. While Heads of School might claim that they are as busy as anyone on a school campus, the reality is that I have many more opportunities to stick my head outside our Berwickian universe than our teachers ever do. The sessions that were offered in Boston on innovation, STEM (or STEAM to include Art), mindfulness, cultural competency, and other pedagogical frontiers were overwhelming and exhilarating. For our employee community, I hope the takeaways were twofold: 1) Education is changing in exciting but unprecedented ways and 2) Berwick is absolutely poised to be a national leader in this conversation. The reality is that while many schools are having conversations about new models of education, we have actually implemented a few – with the Berwick Innovation Center being the most obvious example.

Speaking of which, travelling to NAIS allowed me to present with Darcy Coffta, Raegan Russell, and junior Eric Rawn on the concept of our Innovation Center. We were graciously anchored by John Gulla from the E. E. Ford Foundation, whose very presence validated the progress we are making in a national context. Not only were we able to say that we had met the Ford Foundation fundraising challenge, but our own student was able to show (rather than tell) what our program was all about. Eric’s thoughtful presentation was a showstopper, in my humble opinion. Our room was packed with interested educators from across the country, and many approached us after our talk to see if they might visit our campus to learn more. Our Berwick Innovation Center represented a real-time example of putting the philosophical conversations into action.

On a slightly less exciting level, I was so fortunate to have an opportunity to be on the planning group for this conference. This was thanks to the incredibly generous work of a Berwick parent connected to the organization (I can assure you I was sought for no other reason). Separate from allowing me to engage with other New England heads about what matters most in education right now, I was afforded my most daunting public speaking task to date: introducing a trio of brilliant speakers in front of about 5500 people. If nothing else, I did not trip as I walked on to the stage, so I will always remember it as a success. I also got to hang out in the “green room” before the talk with the other speakers. I found myself as the only one eating cheese and crackers who did not happen to have an agent on his arm. But it was also fun. More importantly, my presence attached Berwick Academy’s name to the national conversation about “designing revolutions” in independent schools.

For Berwick, this was also a community experience. Administrators, teachers, and trustees were all exposed to an array of educational topics that were, at a minimum, provoking. For example hearing our neighbor, the President of Southern New Hampshire University, challenge a panel of austere liberal arts college educators about the future of higher education raised all sorts of questions. The talk forced all of us to consider how we might prepare our students for college – and how we can remain relevant in the future. I hope that, for the Berwick attendees, there was also a quiet sense of pride in our school and where we seem to be headed.

Experiences like NAIS are certainly valuable in that you leave with a few new ideas or nuggets of wisdom that one had previously not considered. But equally valuable is the experience of sitting in a variety of presentations from the finest schools across the country. While we still have a long way to go, we also have a great deal about which we can be proud. We are successfully fighting challenging demographic trends, our curriculum is evolving at a pace that is faster than many of our peers, and it is clear that we are blessed with an exceptional faculty and staff. All of that, and we get to live in the Seacoast as well.

I am not sure when our next chance to step out onto the big stage might come. I wonder how we can systemically remove ourselves from the inevitable insularity of our daily experience here. What I do know is that my team will be thinking about creating another opportunity somehow in the years to come. Our last NEASC accreditation sounded a charge for us to invest in structures of time and space that might allow our teachers to reflect upon teaching and learning and hone their craft. While these same teachers are still incredibly busy, I do think some of our investments in time are beginning to pay off. There is momentum on the campus that is critical to our future. We are not perfect, there are daily challenges, and they are so many ways we need to continue learning from our peers. But we are also ready to lead, so we need to be ready the next time the curtain is raised and we have a chance to step into the spotlight once again.

 

Notes:

 

New Director of Facilities: I am so pleased to announce that Jason Murray has already begun as our new Director of Facilities. His impact has been felt immediately as we have navigated snow challenges and new focus on campus planning. Feel free to swing by and say hello to Jason in his new home on the first floor of 1791. His arrival has allowed Seth Hurd to settle in fully as the Director of Arts with new time and energy for that area of school life.

BPC events: April is the most important month for our BPC fundraising efforts, so please be a part of their good work any way you can in the weeks ahead. The on-line auction will begin right after spring break and the benefit is scheduled for April 18 at the Wentworth by the Sea hotel in New Castle, NH.