A letter from the Head of School:
Dear Parents:
Congratulations to our students who placed in the regional National History Day competition this weekend: Jorie, Olivia, Selah, Grant and Tye will all be going on to compete at the State level. It’s a remarkable tribute to these students’ talent and dedication, the support they receive from their teachers (thank you, Jeffrey and Moni), and the skills-based, personalized approach that is the hallmark of a Peak School education.
Among our Ten Common Principles, those showcased in the achievements of these students are: “Learning to use one’s mind well”; “Student-as-worker, teacher-as-coach”; and “Demonstration of mastery”. Following the consistent top-prizes our Model United Nations team has won at every MUN Conference they have participated in, the NHD achievement by our students demonstrates that Peak’s rigorous and supportive academic program is preparing our students very well indeed for the challenges they will meet beyond Peak.
I will say, too, that the extraordinary success of the recent student-produced performance “Alice in Wonderland” in Breckenridge, another example of our practice of supporting students’ creative as well as their intellectual passions, provides opportunities for them to develop into adults who will make their mark on the many paths they choose to follow. I feel both intense pride in the accomplishments of our students, and a firm belief that the values, skills, knowledge, and sensibilities that we are communicating to them will serve them very well throughout their lives.
With our large 8th grade class moving up to the Upper School next year, we are beginning the selection process for a new teacher at that level. A search committee comprised of students, teachers, parents, and staff has reviewed more than 50 applications from excellent candidates across the U.S. and abroad, and will be having Skype interviews leading up to bringing finalist candidates to Peak in the next couple of weeks.
My Casual Coffee discussion next Monday morning will be part of a nationwide tribute to the continuing impact of Democracy and Education, John Dewey’s seminal work on progressive education, published 100 years ago in April, 1916. It is doubtful we would have such an engaging, exhilarating, growing school community without Dewey’s philosophical foundation. Come hear why!
All the best,
|
