Back to School Night Address

Good evening and welcome to the Hilltop.

Let me begin by thanking all of you for taking time from your busy schedules to be here this evening. As we begin our 173rd year as an academic institution, it brings me great pride to report that the school year is off to a great start. Aside from the incredible weather we have been having, what makes the fall particularly special for me is that after a productive and enjoyable summer break, the campus is once again bristling with activity.

Back To School Night serves as an opportunity for you to get a better sense of the classes your students are taking, to learn more about the incredible faculty we have here at Worcester Academy, how they individually approach teaching and learning in their respective courses, and to gain some insight into how your son or daughter spends their academic day. And yet, I wish there were some way that we could compact in one evening everything else that makes up the Worcester Academy experience.

In my experience with many different kinds of schools, I feel privileged to be a part of a school as diverse and engaging as WA. Unlike many other schools, we are taking steps to think critically about how best to prepare students for the 21st Century. In part, due to the success of last year’s Auction, this summer our faculty engaged in professional development opportunities that took them to Advanced Placement workshops, training on how to make use of technologies such as blogging, podcasting and wikis, institutes on multiculturalism and global education, conferences in world cultures, advanced courses in chemistry, biology, physics and geology. Two members of the WA faculty attended the NAIS Institute for Leadership in Sustainability which is a 4 day program focused on the concepts, planning, and practice of environmental sustainability at independent schools.

In many ways, we are on our way to truly becoming a community of learners and it is this central idea of community that is at the heart of Worcester Academy.

More importantly we see potential.

In each student that sits in these buildings rich with history there exists infinite potential for great things and it is precisely that potential that I am sure you share that makes being a part of WA such a special thing.

In the spirit of looking forward, I also want to inform you of a very important process that Academy will be undertaking over the course of the academic year. We have begun the process of working on a new strategic plan. This process began over the summer and will extend through May of 2008. There are several common reasons why schools such as ours embark on the task of planning strategically.

First, to take charge of the future and set a direction. Secondly, to strive to continue to build off our strengths and work towards areas that need improvement. Third, to work toward building an even stronger community. And lastly to create a framework for strategic thinking that includes aligning people, projects, programs and planning with institutional values. Tomorrow you will receive the first parents e-Newsletter and in it, Head of School, Dexter Morse talks more about our planning process and provides a link to an online survey that we are asking all members of the Worcester Academy community (parents, students, faculty and staff, Alumni and the Board of Trustees) to complete. I encourage you to participate and share you thoughts and feedback. You will also be hearing more about a community wide symposium that is part of our planning process scheduled for January of 2008 in the coming months.
Lastly, I am pleased to report that through the hard work of several parents, we have established a new Parents Council here at the Academy and I would like to ask Dee Anderson and Janet Maney, who have agreed to serve as co-chairs this year to stand and be recogonized. In addition, Adele Hamilton, Erin Munroe, Bonnie Weigl, Sandy Lucchesi and Brenda Negus will serve on the council this year. Mr. Cino will be sharing more information on the new grade level parents reps we have in the Upper School this year and their role in our new Council structure. On your way out we ask that you pick up a green sheet with the names and contact information for each member of the council. There is also a sheet that you can fill out over the course of the evening to express your interest in participating in Council activities this year. Stay tuned for more information as we approach October.

Once again, welcome, we hope you enjoy the beautiful September evening. Thank you for taking an interest in your child’s education, and thank you for helping us make the Academy the amazing school that it is.