Julie Johnstone: A New Hat for the Opening of School

Excited. Motivated. Ready for a challenge.  As I begin my seventh year at CSW, I find myself anxiously awaiting the start of Mod 1. This year I face a new challenge as I don an additional hat for the opening the school, that of Acting Head of School. While I am wearing this additional hat until the end of Mod 1, in many ways the opening of school has been similar to the past six years—welcoming new faculty and staff, participating in opening faculty and staff meetings, and preparing for the influx of new CSW students.

One of the reasons I love working in an educational environment is the blank slate we have at the beginning of a school year—one that is just waiting to be written upon. And while I cannot predict exactly what the year will look like, I do know that each year is unique and that I have the opportunity to be part of something memorable and special.

 

During the second week of July, I participated in an intensive diversity seminar with 70 other independent school educators. Throughout the week, we grappled with issues we face in our school communities and sought to understand our impact and potential as we strive to create inclusive and supportive environments for our students, families, faculty and staff. The leaders and facilitators of the seminar challenged us to find ways to be agents of change—the kind of change that would enhance our own communities. As I left the conference, I was motivated to think about what CSW does well and what changes could happen in the short and long terms to make CSW even better. I was comforted by the fact that I knew my colleagues would be open to the discussion of improving our school community. It is the willingness and desire to change that is the core of progressivism—it is the reason that I am passionate about being at CSW. 

Throughout the 2012-2013 school year, our school community will embark on a journey to formalize our commitment to social justice and multicultural practice. We began this work with our faculty and staff during opening meetings, we have designed our new student orientation to include sessions on building bridges between different cultures, and will continue to share and develop better practices with the entire school community through our assembly and advisor program.

I am thrilled to welcome both new and returning members of our community to the 2012-2013 school year. Together, we will make it a memorable one for all students, faculty, staff, and families. 

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