The beginning of school is always a whirlwind. New faces to meet, old friends to greet. It is an exciting time as everything gets up and running. The students have fresh resolve to put their best foot forward, the faculty are rested and ready to engage their pupils in all the right ways, to do their best coaching on the playing fields and to be the best dorm parents and advisors to their charges. It is a wonderful time, full of potential, in the life of a school person.
At Tabor this week, our kids have been scheduled into several activities that have set the tone for the year ahead. A new class dean system has been put in place to add a layer of supervision and support to our kids. So far, these deans have planned class bonding activities that have also included either a motivational or leadership oriented speaker or activity along with the fun. For example, our freshman went away for a night to Camp Burgess where along with a nice bonfire and bbq and free time, they challenged themselves to face fears and trust peers on the high ropes course and zipline. Our seniors enjoyed a day at Skyzone (a room full of floor to ceiling trampolines) before they got into discussions and planning for a class project that will impact the Tabor community.
This weekend our full community will be the focus. Our first school weekend will begin with a morning of community service followed by a motivational speaker for the entire school community. To end the day, we will have some laughs enjoying a traditional favorite: the hypnotist! Sunday, after a full week of planned activities to set the tone and learning the expectations of new teachers and curriculum, I am sure the students will sleep in and perhaps reflect on all they have already learned here at Tabor. It has been quite a start and there is so much more opportunity to come!
To sum up all this preparation and change, Head of School, John Quirk said it best: We are doing the things we need to do to bring us closer to our mission. Breaking the mission down into nouns and verbs, as he did today in Chapel: we hope to instill, inspire, foster, and encourage a life long love of learning, caring and committed citizenship, personal responsibility, and the highest standards of achievement.
These are big goals, goals in process with people in process. We are all a part of this work of developing our students: alumni, parents, faculty and dedicated friends. Our students need to see our example, to learn from our passions and achievements, and to join us in becoming responsible and committed citizens. I hope you will stay tuned to hear about our progress and maybe even come to see us in action and join in our efforts!
