Message From Head of School - Jean Waller Brune
As you already know, every year I look forward to the Opening School Convocation when we come so joyously back together after the summer. The ambiance that permeates the gymnasium on that occasion is quintessential Roland Park Country School “cooperative, resilient spirit.” No wonder seniors perennially tell me that they hope that Convocation will always be a part of the start of school.
But as much as I agree with seniors and wholeheartedly enjoy that start of our academic year, it is the daily interaction with students that truly sustains me and continually reminds me of why I love being a part of this RPCS community. In September and October I begin to read to our youngest students in kindergarten, pre-first and first grade. I think they look forward to my coming to their classrooms, but I love being with them: no matter what I may have been working on in my office, when I read to them, I find eager faces, unconditional love and the special delight that is the best of childhood. I have also started my “lunch bunches” when I meet with small groups of students in the transitional grades – 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th; later in the spring I will meet with seniors for breakfast. There is nothing like sharing a meal with 6th graders to put me in touch with their issues and realities. I have also been meeting recently with the Middle and Upper School leaders who are helping with our Trustee Orientation and Alumnae Weekend. Their voices reflect so well the goals of our Roland Park Country School education; they are each a strong, independent individual with a mind of her own; they are all articulate, thoughtful, intelligent and vibrant. It is also in these early fall months that I hear from our recent graduates who, almost universally, write back to say how much they have valued their RPCS education and friendships – with students and faculty alike. They write to thank us for how well they have been prepared for college and, sometimes, to note that they hadn’t fully realized how much it meant to them to be a Roland Parker until they were no longer here.
I try hard to listen to our students’ voices and also work to balance their ambitions, desires and dreams with the lessons they need to prepare them for college and beyond and to teach them how to be a strong individual working within a community. It is wonderful to hear the commitment of our students to our School community, but equally heartwarming to know that they understand the importance of reaching beyond the walls of this School. Many of you may have heard the news that a tragic fire destroyed the community-built playground at the Y’s Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Family Center at Stadium Place. RPCS was involved in the playground’s initial fundraising and construction, and we know it is a beloved park area for families who live around the former stadium. I had been discussing, with the Administrative Council, what project we should support with our annual All-School Walk. The Stadium Place playground had been in my mind, but it was the voices of our students – across the grades – that spurred me on to recommend to the Council that we walk to support its rebuilding so that there continues to be a healthy and safe place for children in the Govans neighborhood to play. On Tuesday, October 14th we will hold our annual All-School Walk. Students will be asked to donate $1 for the privilege to be out of uniform on this day and employees will be asked to donate $5. After our walk up Roland Avenue around St. Mary’s Seminary and back, we will gather on the front lawn and enjoy a snack of apples generously donated by Giant at the Rotunda.
The month of October is significant in the life of RPCS alumnae, as graduates of all ages from around the country and the world gather on campus for Alumnae Weekend. To open the Weekend events our Upper School students will hear from the Alumnae Career Day Panel – all entrepreneurs who will discuss sustainability as it relates to their careers. Two former parents and alumnae Courtney Jones McKeldin, 1957 and Pam Miller Loya, 1969 will receive the Alumnae Association’s most prestigious honor – the McCauley Bowl – during Alumnae Weekend for their loyal service to the School.
I am especially excited to welcome alumnae – particularly the Class of 2008 who lived by the motto “No Gym, No Fields, No Problem” last year - to visit the new Athletic Complex, if not on Alumnae Weekend, then on the days that they are on fall break from college. Indeed, if you have not had an opportunity to tour the RPCS Athletic Complex, please drop in anytime that is convenient for you. I have been enjoying watching the babies and toddlers in the Little Bear Child Care Center, our students in PE classes and our athletes as they practice and compete on our new turf fields and in the wonderful 3 court gymnasium. I am just starting to walk the jogging track – 11 times around equals a mile. But who’s counting?!
I hope your daughters are off to a great start in this 2008-2009 academic year.
~ J.W.B.