[ I gave this reflection as part of a Martin Luther King service.] Good Morning! A photograph, a certain kind of very rare photograph, can come to stand for a period of history. It can somehow capture a moment larger than the scene depicted in the frame itself, and most relevant to my comments this […]
Looking Up and Out: Response Inspired by NAES’s New Heads Conference
Over the last three days I participated in the Jonathan T. Glass Institute for New Heads, sponsored by the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES). Led by the Rev. Dan Heischman, Executive Director of NAES, and Ann Mellow, Associate Director of NAES, we spent our time together discussing specific issues relevant to Episcopal School Heads […]
Ready to be Part of “What’s Next” in Memphis
Several years ago, I wrote a piece entitled, “Preparing our Students to be Community Leaders: An Initial Brainstorming.” After attending TEDxMemphis this weekend, I remembered the piece because I was reminded again and again during the TED talks of the vital importance of developing an interest in civic engagement and community leadership in our students. My thinking […]
Big Success, Small Scale: Westminster’s JanTerm Internship Pilot
Westminster’s first experience with JanTerm was not an end unto itself. It was always part of something larger. As the final part of a two-year rollout of a new daily schedule and school calendar, the JanTerm represents the single biggest curricular step forward in the Upper School since its founding–45 new challenging and varied electives, offered […]
Won’t You Be, Please Won’t You Be The Helper: A Cum Laude Induction Talk
Good Evening!It is a pleasure to welcome parents, family, and friends to the Cum Laude Induction Ceremony. And most importantly, it is a pleasure to welcome our honorees, accomplished members of our senior class—congratulations to each of you! The praise we offer you this evening is well-deserved. The challenges you have faced that led you […]
JanTerm Debrief #3–Smart Logistics and Keeping the Temperature Low
In three weeks… 370 separate buses traveled off campus as part of JanTerm and traveled more than 17,000 miles. Westminster students visited Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, California, and Guatemala. Westminster students enjoyed 790 cupcakes, 690 snow cones, and 500 ice cream sandwiches. Logistics. Success in any complex step forward in a […]