Learning the Story of St. Thomas School
One of the wonderful features of life in a school is the cyclical, annual rhythm of summer breaks and start of year energy. Each fall opening invites new possibilities, deeper learning, and undiscovered connections. Having spent all my professional and personal life in schools, I have not known any other rhythm, although the optimism and reflection that comes from this renewal is not something I take for granted. For me, now, starting the year in a new school, home and community all provide the backdrop for personal reflections on change and stability. I bring these reflections to my intention of learning the story of St. Thomas School and the people who make up this community.
Arriving at an institution with as long and storied a history as St. Thomas School evokes a sense of veneration. The strengths of this school—its program, its culture of individual care for each student—are the result of the dedicated commitment of many generations that have come before us.
Learning the distinct character of the school involves careful observation of the priorities, values, decisions, and perspectives of all who have shaped our community. These threads converge to define who we are today.
Yet while we honor our history, we also recognize that a school is not an artifact; it is living and breathing in the moment of today. Our ability to thrive depends on looking to the future, envisioning how our students can best live as responsible citizens of global society after their time with us.
This particular moment is unique. The combination of teachers and students gathered here this year will never exist again. The overlapping threads of our stories are distinct to this time and place. Your child will never again have another school year like this one. Nor will they have one like any other St. Thomas School student of the past.
History and vision. Tradition and innovation. Foundation and dynamism. At St. Thomas School, I do not see these as forces in opposition. In fact, I believe our strength lies in connecting them—understanding how a reflective respect for what has brought us here equips us to imagine what comes next.
In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin describes how the daily practice of noticing even small things we are grateful for primes us to recognize more moments of appreciation in the future. It is the practice of looking back that directs us to look forward in a different way. In the same fashion, I believe that understanding our past allows us to think more deeply and more meaningfully about the possibilities before us.
Schools are defined by curiosity, supportive connections, hard work, and fun. They are the ideal setting to consider the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. As I learn the story of St. Thomas School, I am filled with optimistic anticipation for the year before us and the experiences we will share as a community.
I invite you to reflect with me this year on the ways our shared history and daily experiences shape the future of our children and our school.