Head of School INNSider: August 2023

Head of School Delvin Dinkins shares his first INNSider message of the year with SCH Academy families.

Dear SCH Families,

I hope you are enjoying the final weeks of summer recess. This summer I relished bumping into several students and parents who have shared with me a resounding truth: summer flies. Some say the season’s pace quickens after July 4. Others say July goes slowly and August zooms by. Perhaps that’s because summer recess is kind of like the weekend. Consider June Friday, July Saturday, and August Sunday. Many of us try to hold onto Friday for as long as we can, knowing that once Saturday hits the weekend feels half over. And once Sunday hits, it’s time to get things in order for Monday. So, as of this letter, it’s pretty much Sunday night! 

As I gear up for the 2023-2024 school year, fresh on my mind is a book on my nightstand, The Power of Moments by brothers Chip Heath and Dean Heath. In it, they take on the mystery of moments: why we remember the ones we do, what makes the most amazing ones, how they sometimes change our lives, and how we can create them more often. Let me tell you this: at SCH, the mystery has been solved. We are a place in which defining moments, big and small, happen day in and day out. Sometimes they’re in the classroom; sometimes they’re on the field, on the court, on the stage, or even in the woods. Often they’re planned; other times, not so much. Whichever the case, they occur because SCH cultivates them through a community teeming with a positive culture and a joyful climate. 

In addition to building a strong foundation in the sciences, the humanities, and the arts, our commitment is to inspire within students unbounded curiosity and independent thought, nurture their knowledge of themselves and the world, and expand their full academic and personal potential. Fastened by core values of diversity, courage, thoughtfulness, resilience, and integrity and enlivened by important relationships among students and between students and faculty, an SCH education prepares students to lead lives characterized by a quest to effect positive change. Our commitment to young people entails creating memorable experiences for students that are, in aggregate, fundamentally transformative, even life-changing.  

Also firm in my mind is the opportunity to capitalize on the things we do exceptionally well and that makes us unique. The world is increasingly complex, the environment is competitive, and the future of work is evolving. The downstream impacts on independent schools are definite. Amid inevitable and constant change, the time is ripe to consider what lies ahead for SCH. This year we will be launching a strategy development process to help our school envision its aspirations and press its advantages. This effort will engage the community, utilize important data, generate institutional priorities, and seize opportunities that will advance our mission.

With warm regard and a special “hello” to our new families, I welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year. Please keep an eye open for my INNsider musings throughout the year and for the first Division Head letter and important "Nuts and Bolts" documents tomorrow. I look forward to connecting with you, including at the All-Parent Welcome Reception in the Courtyard of The Inn on September 7. 

It’s Sunday night; see you “tomorrow.”

Sincerely,
 

Delvin Dinkins
Head of School