2012-13 Opening assembly on (8-17-12)

Click here for downloadable link: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/127128609/Upper-School-welcome-12-13

Welcome to the 2012-13 school year. I wanted to take the time to not only welcome you back to Hilton Head Prep, but to also share with you some things that we have been working on and give you a glimpse into how these initiatives relate to our overall direction as a community of learners. More specifically, I would like you to know how they relate to your day-to-day experience. 

At this time I would also like to formally welcome two new faculty members to our division:  Dr. Bassett, who will be teaching in our English department, and Mrs. Jacobs, who will be teaching Science and Math. 

I think that it is important for you to get a glimpse into the dialogue the faculty of the upper school have been having over the past year.  We have really tried to focus on “challenging the status quo.”  This focus can be boiled down to asking the question, why do we do what we do?  Why do we have senior speeches?  Why do we have an advisory program?  Does our detention system actually work in changing student behavior? While these questions seem to have a negative tone to them, we are also asking questions that are more proactive in nature.  What if we had more student input into our cell phone policy?  What if we created an advisory program that had a more purposeful direction?  What if our students truly felt that they were a part of a community of learners?  It is on this last question that we have chosen to focus our efforts. 

So what is a community of learners?  At the beginning of the summer we created an alumni survey that asked our alums from the last ten years to give us some feedback as to how prepared they were for their college experience.  As we reviewed their responses, a number of themes clearly came to the fore.  One of these themes was that Hilton Head Prep was a community.  One alum said,  “A great, nurturing environment. A school based in community and rooted in family.”   Another shared,   “Hilton Head Prep is a home away from home. The small school created an intimate setting to learn and grow.” 

The idea of community is embedded in the fabric of who we are as an institution.  We are all “known” on some level.  We have risen up in support of one another through great tragedy.  We are classmates, teammates, and friends.  One of the things that became clear through a review of the surveys was the power of the relationships that were developed between student and teacher.  As I reviewed these surveys I began to personally reflect on my high school experience.  I graduated from Lake Stevens High School in Lake Stevens, Washington in 1994.  I began thinking about the relationships that I developed during my time as a student.  It became clear to me that I also had relationships with my teachers.  They certainly did have my best interest at heart but there was something missing.  I began to reflect on the limitations that were embedded in my personal high school experience.  I felt that I was known but not really part of something bigger.  My teachers knew I was an athlete but rarely watched me compete.  My teachers understood my interests but rarely fed my passions.  My teachers recognized my potential but never challenged me to deal with my “fixed mindset.” It is one thing to be recognized; it is entirely different to be “known.” It is as a member of a community that one becomes connected to something bigger and is challenged to reach beyond self-imposed limitations.

What does this all mean?  What are the opportunities that we have as a community of learners? As a true community we have the opportunity to flatten the hierarchy.  This means that we can all be invested in the betterment of the institution by being part of the dialogue.  We do not have to traverse a maze of structures that are ultimately controlled by the nebulous “others.”   I do not know how many of you watched the TV show “Lost.”  The basic premise of the story was that a plane crashed on an island that seemed to have a life of its own.  There was a power at work that the castaways could not fully understand or come to control.  Throughout their turbulent journey, the new inhabitants of the island realize that there is another faction on the island called the “others.”  This group seems to fully understand the dynamic of the island and consistently takes advantage of the ignorance of the new inhabitants.  During the first few seasons there are significant self-imposed limitations that are created as the group strives for self preservation.  While I am sure that there are much more powerful representations of the impact of the “others” on the actions of a community, I believe that this example provides a fitting depiction of a community that becomes paralyzed by outside forces.  A community that is paralyzed in this way seems to choose self- preservation over challenging the status quo.  A community that is paralyzed in this way has survival as its mission and cannot see past their self imposed boundaries.  A community that is paralyzed in this way struggles to respond to the inevitable needs of the individual.

The upper school at Hilton Head Prep is a pliable community that is working to “challenge the status quo” in way that will benefit you as the student. One area that we focused on over the summer is our advisory program. As we reflected on this component of our program we determined that we needed to consider creating a structure that had a clear purpose and was focused on building a community of learners through flattening the hierarchy by fostering deep relationships.  As we were working through this discussion and reviewing the alumni surveys, it became evident that the relationships developed between teacher and student were a foundational component of the Hilton Head Prep experience.  It was with this quality in mind that we began to work through a process that would help us to support and accentuate the development of relationships in a mission-driven advisory program. I would like to share this mission with you right now:

Hilton Head Preparatory School’s Upper School Advisory Program supports students’ personal, social, and academic growth through building and maintaining meaningful rapport with advisors who serve as advocates in a community that challenges them to engage and reflect.

While this may seem like a flowery statement that should be filed away somewhere and used as a marketing tool, we as a faculty believe that there are some extremely important components of this message that help us to continue to develop as a community of learners.  There are two particular statements that I would like to highlight.  The first statement is in a community that challenges one another to engage and reflect.  Words have a tendency to mean everything and nothing depending on how we choose to identify with them.  Dr. Bruce Perry, M.D., Ph.D., the Senior Fellow of The Child Trauma Academy (www.ChildTrauma.org) in Houston and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago, makes the following statement as it relates to the impact of words:

Words are merely sounds until they become associated with an object or an action or a feeling. And the way sounds come to have meaning is through repetitive exposure to spoken language in context of a relationship.

While this quote has specific relevance to child development, it is the statement, words are merely sounds until they become associated with an object or an action or a feeling, that is germane to our current discussion. 

The question then becomes what actions or feelings can we attach to the idea that we are a community that challenges all its members to engage and reflect.  What structures are needed to ensure that this challenge is received not as judgment of ones current state but encouragement to develop a clear sense of self and translate this personal reflection into an engagement for the greater good?

The second statement that I would like to highlight is advisors who serve as advocates. In order for our advisory structure to support the development of our community of learners, the advisors have to be engaged in a deeper level of advocacy.  This advocacy is founded in a depth of relationship guided by a clear understanding of the collective mores and the individual needs.  Advocacy is not passive.  As I looked through a number of resources for a definition of advocacy, it was the definition provided by Dictionary.com that most resonated with me (sorry Mrs. Hudak), the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal.  Pleading and active espousal are clearly dynamic in nature.  A group of people that challenges and advocates for the whole, as well as the needs of the individual, will only serve to highlight the foundational components of “community” that were clearly described in our alumni surveys. 

Advocacy for engagement and reflection.  To what aim?  Why should any of us make the choice to invest in this experience?  What do we gain?  This level of advocacy, engagement, and reflection will challenge us all to growth.  This is where the true distinction between my personal high school experience and what we have the opportunity to be part of here at Hilton Head Prep becomes clearly evident.  I had no advocate who challenged me to be part of something larger.  I was never challenged to be engaged past a surface level. I was never challenged to reflect on my role as it relates to growth as an individual with responsibilities within a community. While the philosophical underpinnings of our Prep community are clearly relevant, it is in the application of these ideas to our personal lives that provides the opportunity for growth.

And now to the practical.

As we began to review our advisory program it became clear that our current structure would not be sufficient if our desire was to support our new mission.  So what are the specific changes that will help us to more successfully move forward:

·        Advisories will be mixed-grade except 9th grade students, who are assigned advisors.

·        We will consider “grandfathering” in the Senior advisory groups that have been in place for the last three years.  If you are a Senior and prefer to stay with your advisor from last year, feel free to communicate that when we move forward with the selection process.

·        Our focus is on the group dynamic that will aid in your holistic growth during the academic year.

·        We want to match the proper groups with the proper advisors.

·        We appreciate and will utilize your contributions to place you in an appropriate advisory.

·        This will allow us to put you in the best situation possible.

So what is your role?

• You are investing in the process to help the US community.
• It is important for you to invest in this process because your initiative will influence your academic year.
• Lastly, if you feel fervently about not being placed with a particular faculty member or peer, please schedule a meeting with Mr. Stevens.

How is this going to happen?

1.     Friday, August 17 - Introduction to changes and goals

2.     Friday, August 24 - Fill out Advisor Request Form in class meetings

3.     Weekend of August 24 - Faculty group assigns advisors

4.     Tuesday, August 28 - First formal day of advisory

It is extremely important for you, as students, to engage in this process.  You have a group of faculty members who have worked to create a structure to support the development of our community of learners.  This is your opportunity to help us to help you.  We cannot guarantee that your specific desires will be granted, but what we can guarantee is that we will work very hard to establish groups that will serve your particular needs and help you establish a relationship with an advocate whose aim to is to challenge you to be a contributing member of the community.

I have a few other announcements:

The first thing that I would like for you to consider is the atmosphere in the media center.  This is truly a place where we as a JK-12 community merge together.  There is a natural challenge with this facility due to the fact that we do not have a defined location for a student commons.  It is the blending of purposes that creates an atmosphere that at times can get in the way of the needs of individuals within our community.  What I would ask is that you consider the atmosphere that is needed for that location to become one of purpose.  If you simply desire to interact with your peers, please find an alternative location for these conversations.  Mrs. Keyes will be outlining some specific expectations that will help us to support all members of our community. It will be important that we all respond to these expectations. 

Teacher Cadet Program:

• Another way we're trying to create a true community of learners in the Upper School
• Opportunity for our juniors and seniors to work with faculty members and freshmen and sophomores in the classroom to improve each other's skill sets
• Cadets will serve as instructional assistants to faculty members and role models to peers.  They do not simply make copies.  They will NOT assign grades.  Cadets serve as another resource in the classroom and community to aid in the development of your academic mindset.
• This is not a make copies type of thing—it is a for-credit elective with an application process.
• If you are accepted and we can find a match with an instructor, you will have weekly responsibilities and create a portfolio of work that will then be presented to the entire US faculty at the end of the year and you will also write a synthesis paper reflecting on your observations and growth during the year.
• Again, this is a for-credit elective with a pretty substantial number of requirements.
• If you're interested in partnering with us and committing to help all of us grow, there is a meeting today in Mr. VanGronigen's room (407) at break where you can pick up an application.