Head's Address at Convocation
August 28, 2010
Below is the convocation speech given to the
WMS community by Head of School, Tim Breen on opening day.
Good afternoon.
This is our
first time, all together. Welcome. Welcome returning students, new students,
parents, faculty and staff. It is so
nice to be here with you.
This past week,
we met as a faculty to prepare for this new year. As a way to welcome the new faculty, one
morning we went around the room, with each teacher listing the states and
countries in which they have lived. I
was astonished.
The wealth of
experience is amazing. Collectively,
teachers in this room have lived and worked in over 30 states, and over 40
countries. Over 40 countries!
And that is
truly wonderful is that we have all chosen to be here – to share our lives with
students at this beautiful little school in the mountains of New
Hampshire. As students, you also bring
incredible, diverse experiences to our community. We do we all choose to gather here?
Perhaps one
reason is the setting itself. There is a
long tradition in America of locating schools and colleges in rural
settings. Away from the distractions of
cities, students and teachers can focus energy and attention on learning,
on personal reflection. Our school is
such a place. Seventy-five years ago,
our visionary headmistress "Aunt Dot" McLane moved the school from
the small city of Concord NH, to these mountains. She knew that the mountain setting would help
students develop both humility and vision.
In these mountains we are "surrounded by things greater than
ourselves." We connect with a
purpose beyond ourselves. In these mountains
we also see new vistas, new ideas seem to come more easily. Many of us are here because we find this to
be a setting that inspires us to explore more broadly, to think more deeply, to
experience the fullness of life.
Why else do we
gather here? We also chose to be here
because of each other. Because of our
community. Community is a word that is
thrown around a lot these days. Most
schools will say they have a great community.
I want to dig a little deeper here, to explore what we mean by the word
“community” at The White Mountain School.
I begin by consulting my dictionary.
In biological terms, a community
is “a group of plants and/or animals sharing the same environment.” OK. In
human terms, a community is “a body of people living near one another and in
social relationship.” We’re getting
closer. The next definition in the
dictionary is “a body of people with a faith, a profession, or a way of life in
common.” Closer still.
Etymology, the
study of word origins, tells us that community is similar to the words
communion, communication and commons. It
derives from the Latin “cum” meaning with
or together, and “munus” meaning gift or duty. This is closer to what
we mean by Community. We are sharing our
gifts together. We share a duty to each
other.
What are the
gifts we bring to our community? What
are the gifts we receive?
First, ours is a
community where it is safe to be who you are – you don't have to pretend. It is also safe to grow, to try new things,
and to make mistakes.
We also bring
the gift of our past experiences, our diverse perspectives. Take a moment and look around the room. You know some of these faces, some are new to
you. You are sitting with peers and
mentors from around the country, around the globe. We can all learn from each other. This is one of the gifts we share here.
We also share
our energy, our talents, our passions.
You return from summer, or arrive for the first time, ready to learn,
ready to grow, ready to expand your horizons.
And there is something else.
Every one of you sitting in this room has hopes and dreams for this
year. Every one of you brings individual
talents and interests. Every one of you
has passions.
Our school, our
community, is one where you can explore your hopes and dreams, you can find and
follow your passions. Some of you are
passionate about writing, some are passionate about climbing, some about music,
some about math. Let these passions
grow. And be open to developing new
passions. Your passions add to the
fullness of your life.
So we share the
gift of our individual talents and interests.
At our school, we help other follow passions and achieve dreams, because
it is right, because it is fun, and because it makes the world a better place. It is an expression of our common humanity,
our living in community. It helps make
our life together vibrant and beautiful.
In short, ours
is a community where we learn together, we laugh together, and we support each
other.
This type of
community does not happen by accident, and truthfully, I think it rarely
happens in schools. But we make it
happen here. We have a long history of
doing so, a history that stretches back over many decades. It is the most common theme when I talk with
Alumni from across the years. We owe a
debt of gratitude to those who came before us, to those who created and
sustained this community. And we must be
willing to take on this task ourselves.
It begins today. And it only
happens because we believe in it, and we work at it.
So as we gather
today for the first time all together, lets commit to building the kind of
community where we all feel supported to be who we are, and challenged to
grow. This is the kind of community that
has always made this school such a special place.
So let's
dedicate ourselves to this:
• To reach out to each other with warmth and
understanding
• To help each other make friends, find
support
• To laugh together
• To push each other toward excellence
• To learn about each other, about the
cultures we grew up in, about the beliefs we hold.
• To help each other accomplish our goals,
pursue our passions, reach for our dreams.
Let's dedicate
ourselves to carrying on the great tradition of community at The White Mountain
School.
