Finishing Strong

The end of school is always a time of excitement. We are sending off our graduates, looking forward to a summer of fun and adventure, and all of us – students and staff alike – are filled with a sense of accomplishment.

This being my first year as your Head of School, I am humbled and gratified by all that I have observed in 2021-22. As a school, we set out to “grow in grace” – to be open and accepting of change and to strive for progress and connection. I feel we did just that and we have much to celebrate!

I’m grateful above all for our faculty and staff, who exemplified grace every single day this year. In and out of the classroom, they demonstrated patience, humility, adaptability, and openness at every turn. They listened with understanding, they focused on the health and wellbeing of our students, and they pivoted whenever circumstances required. They truly embraced our mission to empower students to fulfill the unlimited, God-given potential we see in them.

Reflections and Celebrations

Over the past year, COVID-19 has continued to impact our lives in a multitude of ways. However, it is critical to understand that throughout this pandemic, the Berkeley Hall School community has been resilient and flexible.

Here is how:

• We embraced our expansive campus for outdoor learning, athletics, lunch, class meetings, and special events

• Our small class sizes made the shift toward safety protocols easier

• Our focus on community made meaningful and authentic communication between families and the school possible

• We divided our dean roles into several full-time positions and made adjustments in a number of areas including academic programs and student support

• Safety protocols encouraged us to re-think and innovate in new and important ways

All the while, I was struck by the overwhelming support, love, compassion, and gratitude from everyone in our community – parents, students, faculty, staff, Board members, and extended members of the Berkeley Hall School family.

Overall, the value proposition of a Berkeley Hall education has become stronger – even in a pandemic, and we are closing out the 2021-2022 school year strong.

Here is why:

• We have a deliberate and thoughtful strategic plan in full swing

• We are implementing our vision for our capital projects

• We have ongoing upgrades to our facilities

• We are ramping up our academic programming

• We are continuing to hire and retain the best educators and staff possible

• We are using our beautiful outdoor learning spaces with more intention

As we wrap up the year, we are enjoying a number of events celebrating our school and our students’ hard work. I look forward to seeing you in person at some of them and wish you all a happy and healthy summer.

Thank you again for helping to create a community that inspires and fills us all with pride.