Join me for periodic updates from Moorestown Friends School through The Head's Perspective. I hope to connect you with the exciting activities that are taking place every day on our campus and online. As we begin this unique year together, I hope that this and other communications help you feel connected and informed. Have a great school year!
Preserving Traditions in New Ways
As we prepared for the start of school, I think we all had questions about what might change and what would remain the same at MFS this year. Although there are several things about school that feel different, there have also been important moments that have signaled to all of us that MFS and the joy that comes from school is alive and well. My favorite symbol of continuity is the hippo. True to tradition, our senior class painted the hippo (this year with a Toy Story 2 theme) in preparation for students arriving on campus. Just as students and families have done for years, many lined up to take their annual picture next to the hippo. In many ways, it was an indication that school had officially begun.
As I start the new year with our students, I am also considering how best to preserve the joy of school in the everyday small moments. Although students can't come to my office this year to hunt for the ladybug in order to ensure good luck for the coming year, I have planted little ladybugs around campus, so that our students can still feel the joy of surprise and of connection, as we all work to maintain a sense of normalcy for our community. More and more ladybugs will be added throughout the year, and I plan to find virtual ways to include our MFS@Home students soon.
Not all classrooms have four walls. ~Anonymous
Connecting with the Outdoors
We are fortunate to have started the school year with perfect weather, which has allowed our faculty and students many opportunities to be outdoors. From recess, to PE, to lunch, to mask breaks, I have been amazed by how well utilized our outdoor spaces have been. In fact, as I look out my office window, I am encouraged to see so many students playing and spending time together and enjoying this beautiful campus in new ways. We know how important physical exercise and social connection are to the physical, mental, and emotional health of young people. I am hopeful that we can continue with outdoor experiences even as the weather turns cooler this fall.
I thought you might need support, so I grabbed my spatula. ~Christina Stemmler (my mom)
It's a Marathon...Not a Sprint
It's an expression that is perhaps overused, but as I think about this unusual year in the time of COVID, it rings true. A little-known fact about me is that I have run several marathons as part of Team In Training, a program that supports everyday people to achieve a marathon goal while raising money for cancer research. Over a period of 15 years, I ran races and realized how much you can learn about yourself over the course of 26.2 miles.
When you start a marathon, you're told not to come out too fast for fear that you might burn out later in the race. You feel great at the start, but there are many highs and lows throughout the course, so starting out slow is key. A marathon feels unbelievably long when you're in it--the end isn't in sight but the hope of the finish line keeps you going. You need fuel during a marathon, and everyone needs something just a little bit different. Some people love energy gels or bars, others prefer pretzels or gummies. What works for one person may be the opposite for another. What's important is that you know what sustains you when times are tough. Training for a marathon also teaches you that recovery days are as, or sometimes more, important than the long runs themselves. How you take care of your body, rest, and restore matters to how you feel during the race.
As we start this school year at a time when the end of COVID is distant and unclear, it's important that we remember we are in a marathon, not a sprint. We need to start out slowly, savor the days when we are feeling great, seek out the fuel we need to persevere, and make time for recovery. Our community is beginning something special together this year, and at the conclusion of every school day so far, I have felt the warmth of achievement and the joy of getting one more day with students and teachers in the books. I know there will be tough days ahead and we will endure a lot as a community. It's ever more important that we pace ourselves and seek the support of others.
I will leave you with an image from my first marathon in New Orleans, LA. I was raising money for cancer research and training for my first race, just months after learning that my own mother was diagnosed with cancer. She came out to cheer for me that day and popped up all along the course to lift my spirits and to give me moral support. At the finish line under the rain clouds, my mom showed up with a white spatula to congratulate me. When I asked her why she had a utensil in hand, she simply said, "I thought you might need to be scooped up at the end, so I brought my spatula." As I reflect on this moment and my mom's quirky sense of humor, I would like to urge us all to find those loved ones who will be by our side with a spatula when we need it most this year. All of us--students, families, faculty, and staff--will have moments of great joy this year and others that will challenge us. It's important that we all stand ready to scoop each other up. The finish line may be far away, but running the race feels pretty amazing, too. Perhaps better than reaching the finish line itself is making sure that we all reach it together.
Credits:
Created with an image by Mārtiņš Zemlickis - "Brussels marathon runners"