<b>Parents Weekend Remarks - Kartherine Havard</b>

There are, however, a few things I’ve discovered about myself:
First, the limits of my brain – that discovery has been a humbling experience. Those of you who have spent time with Drew will agree that his memory for names and connections is the stuff of legend. He knows all of your names, the names of your Millbrook child’s siblings, where they go to school, where you grew up and went to school, where you go on vacation. Although this may sound like a superficial skill, it has the remarkable effect of helping our parent body and alumni body to feel immediately welcome and connected to this place. I will confess that secretly, at night, I study the parent directory. And I will confess that I have met my match. So, I thank you for forgiving me when I’ve glanced furtively at your name tag before confidently meeting your gaze.

Second: the advantage of high heels. I’ve learned that when one is the symbolic head of an institution or organization, it helps if one can walk as if balancing it gracefully and easily atop one’s head, instead of staggering under its weight on one’s shoulders. I am not what you’d call statuesque, and I haven’t been able to make a yoga class since Drew left at the beginning of February. But in a pinch, I have found that wearing high heels can do the trick.

Third, I’ve discovered the power of shared vision: We’ve embarked on two changes this year that have shaped daily school life, and we are planning a third for next year. In my position, I get to articulate that vision, to give it shape so that others will believe in it. But I’ve learned how much the power of that vision emanates from all those who have shared and contributed to it – students, faculty, parents. I want to use the Culminating Experiences for Seniors program to explain what I mean. Two years ago, based on a change in our end-of-year calendar, and a desire to provide an opportunity for our seniors to initiate an investigation of depth and significance, we decided to do away with final exams for seniors, and arrived instead at the idea for this Culminating Experience for Seniors program. By we, I mean the Academic Committee, and a committee of students who gave significant input into the shape of the program. Here are its basic parameters:
The senior selects a discipline and proposes an area of study, which must be approved by the respective department.

The smartest thing I did was to ask Catherine Ezzo to oversee the CES program. But even as she and I have championed it, we’ve had moments of grave doubt – seniors whining “can’t we just take final exams”? Faculty concerned about handling the added responsibility of advising and evaluating projects, and among those that have occurred thus far, a few that fell flat. Recently, though, I’ve been stopped and thanked for the opportunity by a number of students who have become consumed by what they are doing. Another student who went kicking and screaming into this process at the eleventh hour, discovered half-way through her presentation on adolescent sleep patterns last week, that she not only knew what she was talking about, but relished the opportunity to field questions from the faculty in her audience.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the privilege of spending about 45 minutes with Teddy Kunhardt and Will Hudson, two seniors whose project in the arts was to design and build a wood-burning kiln out beyond our playing fields. They were on hour 24 of about a 30 hour process – they’d spent the night out there with their ceramics teacher, Nic Newcombe, and they were still problem-solving, figuring our how much wood to add in what time increments in order to reduce heat loss and keep the temperature rising. I understand that by 11 p.m. last night, they had finally gotten it to stabilize at about 2050 degrees for over an hour, at which point they sealed it, and will remove the pots after the break, in time for their presentation next week. As I stood over Teddy’s shoulder, watching him add wood to a 1900 degree fire, I sensed that this program had taken on a life beyond any vision that we on the faculty had for it. If I’m right, the students share in its vision now, and that power will sustain it.

I want to move now to the two other changes that I mentioned above.

Wireless access to computers in all dormitories. The desire for this capacity has come from the students, and it has come from you – the desire to be able to communicate more effectively with your children, and for them to have access to the world beyond Millbrook. I’ll be honest; many on the faculty, myself included, were dead-set against it at first, because we worried it would change communal interactions in our dormitories. We are an intentional community, one that talks through the philosophical and practical ramifications of our actions. Two factors convinced us to try wireless access: the introduction of some technology which allows us to control access by individual computer; and the recognition that internet use is something young adults now need to learn how to manage. So, on Wed. March 31st , we held an all-school meeting, in which Rob Lake and I reviewed the acceptable use policy, and reminded students that in anger or frustration – face to face conversations are always better than e-mails. We met as advisee groups and reviewed academic dishonesty as it is related to the internet. And then, we flipped the switch. Students now have wireless access to the internet from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. (or lights out), on weekdays, and longer hours on weekends.

How’s it going? Well, in part, the grades this midterm will show, and we in a few cases, we may need to respond. You also know whether your son or daughter has been IM-ing you during study hall, and I thank you for contacting his or her advisor with this information. This is a trial period, and we will monitor it carefully before making policy for next year. But this is an example of shared vision, of us listening to students and parents, weighing carefully your desires against the values and practice of our culture, and making the best decision we can.

Daily Schedule changes. Since the faculty mapped our curriculum three years ago, and began to work on brain-based research – how we learn, and how we can use class and study time to maximize that learning capacity, we have become interested in changing our schedule. To begin that process, a group of faculty and students formed the Daily Schedule Committee, chaired by Walter Manny. That group arrived at some guiding principles for schedule change, and proposed a host of ideas for change to the faculty as a whole. The Academic Committee then took on the task of hammering out a working model from these principles and ideas. Here, in a nutshell, is the schedule we will adopt next year:

Guiding principles:
? To make our schedule more routine, in the interest of helping our students develop healthier work, play, and sleep patterns.
? To maximize learning time: work when its time to work, and play when its time to play.
? To clear some opportunity for reflection, developmental tasks, and self-initiation in our busy schedule.

Major changes: 8:15 start to the day, every day.
Same amount of class time for all classes: three 45-minute blocks, and one 90-minute block.
No Classes every other Saturday.

In order to accommodate these changes, we will move from 7 class blocks to 6 class blocks over the course of a week. This will mean course choices are a bit more limited, especially for those students who want to take more than one course in the same discipline. We will do all we can to accommodate choice, but in our view, the things we can accomplish with this schedule outweigh this potential negative.

It is crucial that parents understand the philosophy behind the alternate Saturdays, and not cave into their children’s desire to begin their weekends early. To do so will be to undermine the reflective purpose of these Friday evenings and Saturdays. We will have our all-school forums on the alternate Friday evenings, thereby allowing students to benefit fully from these events, without being torn between them and preparation for classes the following day. We will schedule required meaningful programs on the alternate Saturdays, like study time and writing conferences for the IIIrd formers, and the Human Development program for the IVth formers. There will also be some time to sleep later, and to explore club and individual interests. In order for these good things to occur, we need our students here, and therefore, we need your support.

The students are understandably nervous about the proposed changes; when it comes to change, adolescents are the most conservative among us. Please talk with them this weekend, and know that I will review the changes with them in the Friday assembly when they return. We will hold a town meeting in which they’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.

I’d like to tell you now about the state of the school:
First, our seniors: the class of 2004 contains many young people who have discovered themselves, and what they are passionate about. They are not all deliriously happy, necessarily, for senior year has its share of angst, regret, but they are satisfied, excited, and directed. About 50 % are going to their first-choice college. Almost every senior has options about which he or she is excited. We’re proud of the number of admits which occurred because of what the student was able to do at Millbrook. In other words, these are students whose standardized scores are below the mean that the college generally accepts, but in whom the college has seen growth, self-understanding, and potential

Our incoming students and families: we’ve had a very busy admissions season, and a strong yield; next year’s classes are taking shape, and are almost full. Our incoming families are people who understand Millbrook and value what we emphasize.

And in our current students: we just saw an enormous communal effort to bring Millbrook’s message to potential new families, through our second visit program. Many of your sons and daughters contributed – entertained, reached out, were open, honest, and proud of their school. Few schools continue to undertake an overnight program – there is so much that can go wrong. With our students – your children – we have great faith in what can go right. That faith has paid off again this year.

On to our Faculty: an introduction, five departures, two maternity leaves, and two firsts:

I’d like to introduce Jason BreMiller – Millbrook class of 1999. This spring, he is an intern in the English dept., and the co-coach of the j.v. baseball team. Jason has already been hired to teach English at Loomis Chaffee next fall.

Second – some departures. Nick Canedy, a member of our math department and Case dorm parent, will leave to attend Architecture School next year. We are excited that Brian Mitchell, currently an intern in the math department, will replace Nick. Also leaving us will be Daryn Johson, the Trevor zoo intern, and Janice Casale, director of Millbrook Singers. Replacements for these faculty members are still being finalized.

Herb Wilkinson is retiring after 28 years of service to Millbrook School. In the academic and community service awards ceremony here several weeks ago, Herb was the keynote speaker, and he shared with us the way that his visions of teaching and service were shaped by his grandmother. She taught him well. I am pleased to announce that Walker Zeiser will replace Herb in his role as coordinator of the community service program. In addition, we have hired a history teacher to replace Herb: Ralph Trip Powers III, an experienced teacher and coach from the Portland, Oregon area, although originally from Connecticut. Trip is such an avid Red Sox fan that he named the first of his two children Fenway Parker Powers. He, his wife Ivana, and his family will join Millbrook in August. Finally, Robertson Howe, our director of buildings and grounds will be moving on to become the Athletic Director at Loomis Chaffee School. The difficult search to replace Bob is underway, ably directed by Del Shilkret. Please let’s take a moment to acknowledge Herb’s and Bob’s service to Millbrook and your children.

Maternity Leaves: Jennifer Bell, Director of the Annual Fund. We are extremely fortunate that Linda Casertano will join Millbrook’s faculty to replace Jennifer during her leave. Julie Hermann at the Trevor Zoo will also take a maternity leave for two thirds of next year. We are in the process of hiring a second intern to replace Julie.

Finally, two firsts. I’m pleased to announce that Barbara Gatski is Millbrook’s first Fulbright Fellow. Through the internationally-renowned Fulbright Exchange Program, Barbara will be teaching at a college in Argentina for the first half of next year. Coming to Millbrook in her place will be Maria Christina Senin, an experienced educator from Argentina whose expertise will benefit our students. The process of being accepted to the Fulbright program is a rigorous one, and Barbara’s selection is a great honor for her and for the school.

And in our first paternity leave: Mark Clizbe will teach one history course next year, in order to care for his son Nathaniel. Martha Clizbe will come back full-time into the classroom. We are in the process of searching for a history intern for one year to replace Mark.

So, that’s where we are in the daily life and planning for Millbrook. Thank you for your good attention, and I’d be happy to take some questions, before you go enjoy the sunshine and games this afternoon.