I am about as excited as I have ever been for a new school year. As we have been preparing for the start of school, there is an amazing energy on campus. Student-athletes have been engaged in pre-season. Faculty are preparing their classrooms and curricula. There is an infusion of new energy from 35 wonderful new faculty and staff, who will bring their own talents and help our school grow. Our Operations team is working hard to wrap up various renovation projects, including the construction of a new turf field on the Newton property. As I noted in a community letter, our Safety and Security Team is finalizing a number of important security upgrades that will be finished shortly after the new school year begins.
This week, I sat in on conversations with teachers as they talked about their goals for this year. This is my fifteenth year as Head of School at CA, and I am constantly humbled and amazed by the dedication of the faculty and staff. I value this group of educators who always put students first. They think about the long-term success of our students. Every school year has its annual rhythms and traditions. But, every year is DIFFERENT. The kids evolve and grow. They are impacted by larger societal forces. Every year, they bring new questions and ideas.
As I prepare my Senior-level War on Terror syllabus, I always think of the adjustments I need to make to my curriculum. What current events force me to re-frame this conflict? What new evidence has emerged that I can include? What new authors or documentary films have emerged that might shed new light on this conflict? This is the fun part of being a teacher. We live in a world that brings new inspiration and forces me to grow as a scholar. This Is true with every teacher at Colorado Academy! Whether it’s a Lower School teacher learning new ways to help students read and write or a Middle School teacher researching what a restorative justice approach to discipline might look like, CA faculty model lifelong learning and curiosity.
We can’t wait to see you and your children at the All-School Picnic. There still is time to register. We can’t wait to welcome our new students at various meet & greets. And, I can’t wait for our opening All-School Assembly when the whole community gathers in front of the historic Welborn House, and our Senior class—the Class of 2023—helps the entire student body welcome the new school year.