Advancing Gunston's Public Purpose

I recently had the opportunity to attend the National Association of Independent Schools conference in Washington, DC, where the theme was "Advancing our Public Purpose."  The aim was to think about the ways that independent schools can work together with public schools, local municipalities, foundations, states, counties, and our our case, regions, to promote the public good. 

At Gunston, we see ourselves as an important institution in the development of our larger Eastern Shore community, and we are striving to expand our partnerships within the community.  For instance, we partnered with several schools to sponsor a showing of "The Race to Nowhere" several weeks ago, where almost 300 people came to see the film and participate in the discussion.  In addition, our GIVE club (Gunston Initiates Volunteer Efforts) has been involved in dozens of local service projects over the course of its existence.  Currently, among other efforts, we are working with a group of students from Kenard Elementary in Centreville on an oyster restoration project where the aim is to rehabilitate the decimated population of a creature essential to the health of our watershed.

I also had the opportunity to see presentations by a series of gifted speakers and presenters.  Here are some links to some of the speakers' presentations in other contexts:

• Sheena Igyenar: The Art of Choosing--this is a compelling engaging and funny presentation at a TED Conference about the role of choice in our lives.  Dr. Igyenar is a professor at Columbia Business School.
• Geoffrey Canada: Mr. Canada is the founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, and one of the most gifted educators of our time.  Here is the link: 60 Minutes, Geoffrey Canada
• Dan Heath: Mr. Heath is one of the world's leading thinkers on communication.  Here is a short clip about how to make an effective presentation.  He is the author of two best-selling books, Made to Stick and Switch.
• Salman Khan: If you want to glimpse the future of the role of technology in education, it's worth watching this video on the Khan Academy.  Sal Khan's website can be found at http://www.khanacademy.org/.  It is the largest open courseware site in the world.
• Anya Kamentz: She is a journalist who is following innovations in open learning platforms.  Here is her Ted Conference presentation.

Summer Opportunities

This year Gunston is starting a summer camp, as well as a summer academic Honors Academy.  Beyond our program, however, summer opportunities abound for our students, and I wanted to share some resources for finding a great program:

http://www.usummer.com/

http://www.enrichmentalley.com/programs/alphabetical

www.teenlife.com/2011SummerGuide.

http://www.andover.edu/StudentLife/SummerOpportunities/Documents/Alphabetical%20Summer%20Ops.pdf

Powers of Ten: A Video

Several years ago I taught the Theory of Knowledge course in the International Baccalaureate program.  For one of the lessons, we watched the video "Powers of Ten" to trigger a discussion about mathematics, perspective, and the universe.  As a way to understand the relative size of our universe, it is unmatched.  Here it is: Powers of Ten.

As the website notes: "In 1998, 'Powers of Ten' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'."

Headmaster's Holiday

A ski lesson for some of our international students

My first Headmaster’s Holiday was great fun, and although the 10-hour bus ride up to Seven Springs (normally 4 ½) made the first leg of the trip arduous, it was certainly a ride to remember.   Throughout the trip, there were many wonderful moments: the first-night pizza party (though the pizza was lukewarm due to our lengthy bus ride up), the feeling of warmth and camaraderie in our common room where we kept the TV locked on the Weather Channel as Snowmageddon ripped through the Eastern Seaboard, and of course, hours and hours of skiing in almost perfect conditions.  On Thursday night, Mr. Southworth and I even braved the bracing water of the swimming pool and Andy Doucet’s sharp elbows to participate in a high-energy contest of pool basketball.  I’m still shaking the water out of my ears!

Bea on skis!

Personally, I had the opportunity to see my daughter take her first-ever ski lesson (though she kept falling on purpose in order to eat snow), and a group of Gunston Seniors allowed me to chase them down the slopes on Friday morning.   In the final few hours of the final day of the trip, the students piled their bags and their bodies into the Wintergreen Room where they rested exhausted muscles, listened to iPods, and prepared for the journey home. 

The school year is always long, and it’s always hard work.  The Headmaster’s Holiday allows us to step away for a few days to enjoy each other’s company and to recharge our batteries for the final few months of the academic year.

Relaxing after a long bus ride up!