Jane's Corner

Head's Message: Cultivating our Garden: planting ideas for the future.

I'm actually not a gardener, in the true sense of the word, but I do understand the importance of climate, soil, and cultivation. I certainly work with many avid gardeners: Martha Gray, Rhona Carlton-Foss, Alorie Parkhill and Larry Frye, for example. Diane Garthwaite, the chair of our board of trustees, is a landscape designer. Adele Rustino, chemistry teacher, runs an organic farm. Our theater maven Robin Wood has hens and goats. Images of growth, seedlings, feeding and nurturing, harvesting and planting are all around us. Here at The Cambridge School this spring, these images are particularly relevant as we explore exciting opportunities for new building and renovation on campus and improvements to our academic programs.

John F. Kennedy once referred to a distinct dilemma: "The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'"

What we would like to plant immediately is a new science facility that is not only "green" but also can incorporate other disciplines within its structure, such as visual art. But our desire to carry out this inspiring and innovative project must be balanced with a long-range plan for posterity. This dynamic between immediate gratification and awareness of the "long haul" has been played out in many vital ways within our school over the last several months as we've gotten together in various committees and groups to establish priorities. One of the most challenging questions we've been asked is: "What do you want the school to look like in 100 years?" Answering this question has demanded that we slow down and thoughtfully consider our role as caretakers of the entire campus as well as stewards of the environment.

To that end, we are doing a campus master planning study. Since December 2003, a Master Planning Study Committee has been meeting to review the priorities for our campus set down in the strategic plan, and translating them into a physical outline of our hoped-for design. Guiding us in this work is Carol R. Johnson Associates, a nationally known and respected environmental planning and landscape architecture firm. Ruth Loetterle (parent of Noah Bennett, '05) connected us to this firm, and has been instrumental, with Carol, in creating an inclusive planning process that is emblematic of CSW's belief in collaboration and involvement. Through open meetings involving faculty, staff, day and boarding students, board members, and parents, I have seen an alignment of purpose develop; with a deep awareness of our mission and values, a synthesis of thought and consensus of ideas are creating a vision for the future of our beautiful campus.

For example, we've agreed the quad is the center of our school and must remain so, providing us with a place to come together equally. We've realized the strength of our athletic program comes, in part, because the gym is located on the quad, making it an integral part of developing the whole student. And we've agreed that creating a village-like atmosphere at our dorm locations would foster and strengthen our sense of community. The master planning process has been one way in which we have been able to revisit who "we are" and plan together for the future.

Through this process, led by Carol and Ruth, we have learned more about our hopes and dreams. It is in the planting and the process that the work of education takes place—and it is wonderful to see it all coinciding and forming the synthesis that will take us to action. Through the collective talents of our board, staff, and students, we are planting the seeds that will realize our ambitions.

Jane Moulding, Head of School