Values Will Guide Us in Challenging Times
A new school year is an opportunity to reconnect, reimagine, and return to the core purpose of why we exist as a school. Over the past decade, we have worked tirelessly to instill the Crescent difference in all we do as a school through our curriculum and co-curriculum inside and outside of the classroom. We do this by offering high levels of challenge and support so that our boys develop the character competencies we believe they need to be flourishing men in the world. This work is done not just by words but through the modelling of our school’s core values.
We know that times are increasingly challenging for young men. My blog post from September 2023 addresses the crisis of boys and how we, as a school, are facing this head-on. Our students are inheriting an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. This past year has been especially difficult as parts of the world grow in conflict, and many in our midst are suffering as a result of these global events.
At times like this, the role of our school becomes crystalized in my mind. We must lean into our core values, especially compassion, showing care, concern, and empathy for those around us. Compassion calls us to treat others as we wish to be treated and to work tirelessly to support those in need without judgment. Leaning into our core values is critical as we strive to be a place where every boy belongs and feels valued.
Our work as a school of character also involves resisting polarized rhetoric while embracing human belonging. More important than teaching boys what to think is helping them learn how to think, so as to find wisdom “in between” truths that some perceive as definitive. It is here that their insights, inquiry, and discovery of character become possible. Inviting students to step into this space is admittedly not easy at the best of times, but is especially important today.
Encouraging parents to fully partner with the school in this work is even more challenging and necessary. In this way, our central work amidst and within this VUCA world will remain squarely focused on the boys, their needs, and our school mission to educate for character.
Our values must remain the beacon that guides our actions. Our role as a school is to embrace our values and reinforce our diverse and welcoming community so that we can model the character we want our boys to emulate. Today, more than ever, this work matters for them and for the world.
Veritate Stamus et Crescimus / In truth, we stand and grow
