This is where it ALL happens for kids…SCHOOL! For many young people, school is:
- the most complex social environment they will navigate;
- where they skill up on how to succeed with grace and humility and pick themselves up after a fall;
- the place where they are challenged to test their limits;
- where they learn the most about kindness and unkindness through direct experience.
In sum, school—in this case, Colorado Academy—is a place of intentional and unintentional growth for young people, the crucible that molds our students into the strong and resilient young adults they are soon to become.
So much of what happens in Middle School is crafted by adults to yield intentional outcomes. Students enter Pre-Kindergarten with high potential and limited skills and cross the stage at graduation still with no ceiling in sight, but with a significant tool belt to help them navigate the world’s complexities. They are not “finished” by any stretch, but if, through the hard work of talented teachers, each has grown in their ability to manage complex social situations, achieve in academic environments, solve problems, collaborate, communicate, and steer using a moral compass, we have all served them well.
Unique journeys
What this journey will look like for each student is unique. It is hard to predict which of the many stellar teachers we have at CA will be the one (or many!) that sparks the life-long passion, helps a skill click into place, or teaches the lesson that will be held close to the heart for the next 50 years. We do know, though, that it will happen. This is because CA is a smorgasbord of opportunity and experiences in academics, arts, and athletics. Because of these experiences, we know that students will, over time, be transformed.
While so much of what will happen in the next few years is intentional and crafted, a good deal depends on serendipity. The chance encounter in the hallway, the friendship that forms because of the pottery class, the teacher that enters a child’s life at just the right moment. Equally important is the learning that comes because a child has a misstep along the way—the assignment that is forgotten, the test that came as a “surprise,” the ethical misstep that led to an important learning moment and consequence. In the long run, life is a marathon, not a sprint. This is the good stuff, what makes us what we are.
The destination
I hope that when we get to next June, you will agree that Colorado Academy is a fantastic place for kids to grow up. I hope you will share my belief that that the richness and breadth of our programs, the beautiful facilities, the delicious lunches, and the efforts of our faculty contributed to significant and positive growth. We are lucky to have wise, experienced, professional, and hard-working teachers who put the needs of students first.
I am looking forward to supporting each of our Middle School students, and I welcome the two-way communication between home and school that supports learning. Here’s to having a wonderful and growth-filled school year!