All Ready for the First Day of School

On Tuesday, we officially open our newly renovated high school. All of us have been busy, unpacking boxes, learning how all of the new technologies can be used, trying to figure out the new flow and character of new space. I look forward to seeing how the students begin inhabit the space. I look forward to seeing the new ways that we can collaborate.A school does not feel right without students and teachers living, making magic every day. IMAG0118, a photo by vvsquared on Flickr.

Beloit College Mindset List Released

Each fall, Beliot College releases its Mindset List. This list provides reminders, culturally, to what the incoming freshmen class have experienced in their lives. It is a wonderful reminder of how things have continued to change. You can access the full list at http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/, but here are the handful of my favorites from their list of 75 items: The Mindset List for the Class of 2015 Andre the Giant, River Phoenix, Frank Zappa, Arthur Ashe and the Commodore 64 have always been dead. Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their parents. The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been […]

New Upper School Opened

Last Friday, we received our certificate of occupancy for our newly transformed high school. Faculty are beginning to arrive on campus to unpack their belongings into the new space. I am very excited about working in this space this upcoming year. The space, designed by Trung Le of OWPP is centered around collaboration and increasing the potential for intellectual collisions throughout the year. I am looking forward to sharing our experiences in the new space along with sharing of images of the interior spaces.

The End of an Era

Today marked the end of an era at the North Shore Country Day School. After 12 years of faithful service, our help desk manager, Lori Brennan spent her last day at North Shore. A help desk manager is the first person that a user in crisis first contacts, whether it is a kindergartener trying to print their first masterpiece or seasoned faculty member whose hard drive crashed during the middle of writing report cards. To the user in crisis, their problem is always the most important issue that needs to be dealt with right away. One of Lori’s strengths that […]

Two Different Views on Meetings

Two weeks from tomorrow, our 2011-12 academic year will begin once again. In addition to classes and partnering with students and faculty, this will mean a series of meetings. Don’t get me wrong, it is essential to get groups of folks together so that progress can be made towards shared goals and initiative, but for me, there are times that these gatherings take time away from other tasks which require my time, energy, and attention. This past week, two different suggestions as to how to rethink these gatherings were published that resonate with me. The first is the new book […]