Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (May 29, 2012)


Greetings GreenMount Community,

            As this year comes rapidly to a close, it is important to celebrate accomplishments and acknowledge those responsible for them.  In the afterglow of our latest achievement on Thursday, it is altogether fitting and proper to applaud the accomplishments of our students and teachers and all that they learned in our Baltimore theme.  As I thought about how this theme stacked up against others, I found it hard to compare.  Some very popular themes have involved a great deal of performance by students, such as All the World’s a Stage or a showcase of interesting art projects such as in From Caves to Canvas.
This theme was different.  While we saw much of the students’ project work and a lot of their artwork, I felt that what was showcased on Thursday was the learning that took place.  Yes, a great deal of learning takes place with each theme – that’s what we are all about.  But the Baltimore theme was close to home and provided a unique opportunity for our kids to explore neighborhoods, businesses and historical landmarks around the city.  Unlike the China theme, which involved virtual experiences for the students, Baltimore is where we live and the surprises about our own turf gave students and teachers a new appreciation for city life in Baltimore.  The theme event itself, while well done and comprehensive, could not do justice to the experiential opportunities that our students had, and will continue to have right up to the last week of school.  We have also been very fortunate to have special parent involvement during this theme, which resulted in visits nearly every Friday from local artists and Baltimore notables such as Gilbert Sandler.  We are very appreciative of the wonderful connections we have with parents who know how to access especially interesting human resources.
            The themes this year have been especially interesting and rewarding.  Just think about what our students did and compare those experiences with the kinds that students have in other schools.  Where else will you find thirty students expertly demonstrating eight Tai Chi moves in synchronization, or a group of students marching into battle with the 5th Wisconsin from Seminary Ridge to Culp’s Hill in Gettysburg? How many students in other schools understand community revitalization as a result of talking to community organizers and business owners and then present a convincing argument for a five-year plan? Where else will primary students learn to sing in excellent Mandarin Chinese? Where else will students learn the political and economic realities of the cause of the Civil War?  Over and over again, we remain true to our philosophy of creating “deep smarts” through themes and project-based learning.
            Another fine example of how our students are being prepared to meet the challenges of the future is the success of our Destination Imagination team who competed in the global problem-solving competition in Tennessee this past week. After winning problem-solving competitions in the region and in the state, they surpassed 87 of the 98 teams from all over the world competing in their category.  They did this in spite of a technological glitch that required on-the-spot creativity and problem-solving for which they were praised by the judges.  They also doubled their score from the state competition in the spontaneous problem-solving activity.  The students on our team learned a lot about competing on a global level and made many new friends from other countries.  They were candid about what they could have done better in order to increase their chances of moving up the ladder.  But they were happy with their accomplishments and appreciative of what the experience offered them.  Word has it that they are already planning for next year!
I continue to be amazed, even after six years at GreenMount, at the creativity of teachers, the unbelievable support of parents and the raw talent of our students.  Thanks to all who make our school so important to the students who will face the next two decades and all the challenges that they will offer. We can’t predict the future because it is a blur of change.  But we do know that our kids will have to deal with it, and in order to do that successfully, they will have to have flexible thinking that will allow them to solve problems, be creative, and work well with others.  I have been in this business for 44 years and I know (I know!) that we have the right formula for learning and preparing students for the challenges they will face in an uncertain world.  Cheers to all GreenMountaineers!  We do it right!

Steve