Message From Head of School - Jean Waller Brune
After the excitement of celebrating with many of you and your families at the Lower and Middle School Closing Programs on June 6 and Commencement on June 10, I am looking forward to a long weekend in NYC with my family. I am taking everyone to see the revival of the 1949 musical South Pacific. This has been a favorite of mine for many reasons – in part because it makes me think of summertimes, friendships, growing up and birthdays past. I was too young to see the Broadway production, but when the movie came out in 1958, some of my RPCS classmates took me to see it as my birthday present. My recollection is that there were other, later summers when it played again in theaters, and my friends and I always managed to go see it together. I don’t know, for a fact, how many times I actually went to see the movie, but I know that I was deeply concerned about the underlying racial prejudice, although sensitive in its portrayal, inherent in the story. The song You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught moved me deeply then with its lyrics: “You've got to be taught to hate and fear. You've got to be taught from year to year...You've got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made. And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade. You've got to be carefully taught.” Perhaps that song helped form my strong desire to work to remove the barriers that prejudice builds. I hope that, at RPCS and in our own personal lives, we are working to teach just the opposite. I hope we are teaching and learning much more about love, trust and peace.
While issues of prejudice still remain, I take hope from the voices of our students who are, I firmly believe, teaching us something different – if we will just listen to them. At RPCS, appreciating diversity of all kinds is an integral piece of our school philosophy.
A visible testament to the differences that our students appreciate in each other is the renewed participation this year in The Moore United Voices Gospel Choir. Last year all but one of the members of that choir graduated. Thanks, in large part, to the efforts of Tanaira Cullens, 2008, the group has greatly expanded this year. At their concert on May 26, I was struck by the talent, vitality and commitment of the almost 40 Middle and Upper School students performing, a diverse and talented group expertly led by musician Daryl Jordan and supported by our 8th grade science teacher Elisha James-Palmer and registrar Marki Dickens. As part of the concert Chris Gummerson, 2008 sang Differences, an original piece for which she had written both music and lyrics:
We all come from the same place.
We are of the same earth
and we are of the same worth.
And I cannot imagine
a world without difference-
different people, different colors
different sizes, different shapes.
We're the human race.
It's like taking a rainbow
and draining it of its colors.
Just a few days ago, I listened to our 4th grader Claire Evans, 2016 read a poem that she had chosen about peace:
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in nations;
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities;
If there is to be peace in the cities
There must be peace between neighbors;
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home;
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the family;
If there is to be peace in the family,
There must be peace in the heart.
There is both peace and pride in my heart when I think of another visible testament to the extraordinary support our students have for appreciating all children, especially those in need. I am very excited to share the news, as our SGA President Chris Gummerson, 2008 is announcing in all three academic divisions, that RPCS has reached its goal of raising $20,000 this year to Build Two Schools; we will be sending a little over $10,000 to Free the Children to build a school in Sierra Leone and will be commemorating a special place in our new athletic center to acknowledge this tremendous achievement! Thanks to everyone who has helped us reach this ambitious goal.
As you know China has suffered a terrible tragedy, with an enormous loss of property and life due to the Sichuan Earthquake. In our ongoing efforts to reach beyond our walls to help children in need and in honor of Children’s Day on June 1, RPCS held a one day fundraising event on Friday, May 30 to support children in Sichuan who have been orphaned by the recent earthquake and its aftermath, raising $1000. Condolence cards were also delivered to the Chinese Embassy and several cards were quoted in the Chinese media.
Roland Park Country School’s commitment to being a responsible and caring global citizen has certainly been evident this school year. I am proud of our students and our employees for their initiatives. I am also proud to be a part of a community that values the education we provide for our students and especially values the teachers who carefully teach at RPCS. RPCS is a strong institution both in its rich programmatic offerings and its finances. I would personally like to thank Lynn Pié, Coordinator of the Red Hot Affair, and our Technology Department, for our first ever online auction, and all the dedicated and hard-working volunteers for their leadership of the Red Hot Affair which raised $95,000 for the endowment funds for faculty compensation and student financial assistance.
As you begin your summer vacation, I wish for you and your family a restful and reflective time while you are away from RPCS.
~ J.W.B.