Serving as the head of this outstanding School means my
schedule often provides some sharp contrasts—often
during the same day.
Take Tuesday, February 12, for example. The morning started
with a Strategic Planning Steering Committee meeting. Our consultant, Ian
Symmonds of Ian Symmonds & Associates, was back on campus for the fourth
time.
We officially have moved on to the Phase IV
"Formulating the Future" phase, and we are now forming subgroups to
begin developing a set of strategic goals based on the research we have
gathered over the past several months. It's a very exciting stage in the
process as we look towards creating a plan that will ensure the continued
success of USM. I'm confident this process will set the stage for a bright
future. More information will follow shortly from Sangeeta Khanna and Andrew
Petzold, the co-chairs of the Steering Committee.
Following the meeting, I made my way to Lower School, where
our fourth-graders were culminating their study of the Civil War by engaging in
an “Immersion Day.” Impeccably dressed in the style of the era, our students
learned bugle calls, sang Civil War songs, listened to historically authentic
speakers, and tasted traditional “Johnny cakes.” I joined them in the taste
test—they were actually quite
good!
Starting off my day by working with a group of volunteers
and administrators dedicated to USM’s continued success,
followed by sharing an innovative learning experience as our students’ studied
this extraordinary time in our country’s history, made this day a particularly
rewarding combination of both
looking back in time and to the future.
