Head of School INNSider: April 2024

Dear SCH Families,

The other day I was having lunch with Middle School colleagues, and the conversation turned to hidden talents. One of them talked about having a knack for finding four-leaf clovers. Whether chatting on her cell on a park bench or walking with her children in the neighborhood, her eyes seem to spot these lucky charms as if they were a bright bouquet. She gave us tips on how to find them. I shared that, when I was a child, I had a flair for finding lost items, including money, and not just coins either. I’ll never forget the time my mother made me return to the store with a $20 bill I had found, believing it must belong to someone who had shopped there. (I had hoped to use the money for bike parts, the arcade, penny candy, hoagies for my friends and me, or some other small venture!) By the time lunch had ended, a colleague had promised to think about her hidden talent and let us know the next time we ate lunch together. 

As a school, we have many talents, some rather hidden, many bare for all to see or experience. The strategic development process that we have been engaged in this year has deepened our understanding of our school’s core strengths and distinctive assets, you know, the things we’re good at. The recently presented constituent survey results alone offer a flattering picture. Parents expressed high levels of satisfaction overall, signaling that SCH is strongly delivering on its mission, thanks to committed educators. A significant number of parents insist their students derive meaningful benefit from single-sex classrooms (Lower School and Middle School), even though many parents did not expressly seek out SCH for its single-sex to coed model. They love that there’s balance in our programming and that students can explore varied interests. Moreover, students routinely feel supported. They report being connected to and known by at least one trusted adult and that extra help is regularly available. Like our students, parents feel deep affiliation with the school, noting that the Parents Association partners well with the school in nurturing and cultivating a sense of community. Our culture teems with the love of learning, balance, and joy. These are strengths to build upon. 

The survey has also identified areas we need to shore up. There’s a thirst for community service opportunities and in-house support for student learning and social-emotional needs. Also, parents applaud our variety and frequency of communications, but also desire more targeted messaging about their child, affirming their appreciation for personalized notes from teachers and advisors. For their part, students spend excessive amounts of time using social media, cutting into the amount and quality of their sleep and overall social and academic experience. And while most students feel a sense of belonging, Black and LGBTQ+ students feel less so. Feeling less connected affects their engagement in school life and the overall quality of their experience, particularly given that the vast majority across all constituent groups identified “community” as our most treasured asset. These are areas to work on.

The strategy development process, which has included not just constituent surveys but a town hall/world cafe experience for faculty and staff, market research, and a series of small group conversations we have referred to as SCHarrettes, has demanded that we look inward, outward, and forward. These efforts have not only energized and piqued the curiosity of the school community, they have produced important insights that will help us pave a surer path for our school. 

The senior leadership team and I will be working hand-in-hand with our Board of Trustees this spring to develop a strategic framework with clearly defined priorities that are both anchored to our mission and values and propelled by an ambition to deliver an extraordinary educational experience. We want students' experience at SCH to change their lives profoundly, so they can thrive and effect positive change after SCH. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention the total solar eclipse that we recently experienced. And I use “experienced” intentionally to indicate that we did not just see it; we experienced it, and along with it a kind of expectant atmosphere. Adam Grant, professor of management at Wharton, published an article titled “There’s a Specific Kind of Joy We’ve Been Missing” during the throes of COVID-19. In it, he explores collective effervescence—the vitality and harmony people experience when they come together in service to a shared purpose. He writes, “Collective effervescence is the synchrony you feel when you slide into rhythm with strangers on a dance floor, colleagues in a brainstorming session, cousins at a religious service, or teammates on a soccer field.” Seeing hundreds of our students, educators, and parents across campus wearing special eyewear and flocking to outdoor spaces to witness the phenomenon together, heads identically sloped toward the sky, echoed Grant’s sentiments. How wonderful it is to kvell about such a moment of elevation and connection! Just as the cherry blossom boasts its beauty for a fleeting moment and then rests in peace, the eclipse overwhelms us with its own bold aesthetic. Inspiring questions about mystery, impermanence, and sacredness, the eclipse gives us the gift of awe and wonder and invites us to inject more of it into our lives. Imagine a world in which the experience of awe and wonder is routine but still magical!

As springtime comes into fuller view, do enjoy the last leg of the school year. See you at the upcoming concerts and performances, games and contests, parties and gatherings, and ceremonies and celebrations. The year would not be whole without these defining moments that bring us so much elevation, pride, insight, and connection. 

Warmly,

Delvin Dinkins
Head of School