Welcome from the Head of School

From the Head of School

Dear Berwick Community,

I continue to be incredibly proud of and grateful for our wonderful students and faculty as they have brought joy and purpose to the past couple of years. As we turn the corner into the last trimester of the school year, we look forward to celebrating all that our students have accomplished and welcoming families and alumni back to campus.

I am also proud that over the past two years we have been able to rise above the day-to-day challenges of operating a school amid a pandemic and continue to plan for Berwick’s future. This spring we will officially launch The Courage to Climb: Berwick’s Strategic Plan for the Future.

A few years ago, I attended a session by a former board colleague at the Enrollment Management Association’s (EMA) annual conference. Tim Fish, who is the chief innovation officer for the National Association of Independent Schools, focused on the process that innovative schools must go through to continue to reach their highest potential and best prepare their students to live purposeful lives beyond their education. The session’s overarching metaphor was that innovative schools are on a journey much like climbing a range of mountains. First, they visualize and plan before beginning their journey to the initial peak. This summit becomes a base camp, where, grounded in the work that led them this far, they begin the process once again and prudently set off to the next peak.

When I arrived at Berwick four years ago, the community had just completed a very steep and critical section of this journey by implementing a curricular evolution that now serves as the foundation of our program — Berwick’s base camp. It is student centered and allows our faculty to focus on supporting kids in building skills that will serve them for the myriad opportunities that exist in our changing communities and workplaces of the future.

In the past two years, our teachers have not only managed the dynamics of the pandemic, but honed their craft. Engaged in professional development and collaborative group work to refine and improve, they remain at the forefront of their fields. As we prepare for our next journey, leaving base camp behind and armed with the tools we have learned along the way, we will begin the ascent to our next peak, guided by a strategic plan that enhances and fuels the work that has already been done. In this magazine, you will see the broad overview of this plan and the six strategic goals that serve as our areas of focus for the next five years.

A comprehensive plan utilizes and impacts every facet of our community. We are looking for active engagement in this strategic plan, and I welcome your thoughts, ideas, and continued partnership as we move forward.

I hope that you enjoy this issue of Berwick Today. It is certainly a celebration of Berwick’s many moments of spirit and engagement that have taken place on campus this year, as well as a truly exciting look into our courageous climb forward.

Sincerely,

Jim Hamilton Head of School