AMPLIFYING OUR MISSION

A letter from Judith Guild

The disruptions our School faced over the past 24 months also provided us with the opportunity to examine our priorities, rely on and amplify our mission, and seek ways to become stronger and better. We are emerging from the pandemic with an undiminished sense of purpose and commitment to the wellbeing of each other.

In this edition of Brimmer Magazine you will read how we are turning our attention to meet the goals outlined in the Strategic Priorities 2020 & Beyond plan. Addressing the demand to support the health and wellness of our students, which the pandemic made more urgent, lead our faculty to elevate the goal of creating leadership opportunities, connecting with one another, and ensuring a sense of belonging for all our students PK-12. You will learn how the Lower School students reunited with their Buddy Groups after 20 months of pausing the program. The faculty designed lessons using the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Choose Love curriculum for the Buddy Groups to use as they explored new friendships and meaningful connections. You will read how the new Upper School GatorAide mentor program unites students across grade levels and how learning leadership skills can help build stronger connections in life. Developing connections with others also requires understanding one’s self and having a strong identity. When our librarians led an effort to evaluate our library collection through the lens of belonging, the faculty decided to expand our representation of the voices of our nation’s and world’s diverse population. These important voices are reflected in the selection of new books and novels and have already impacted the core curriculum. Our goal is to help our students see themselves in our collection and curriculum, which in turn will help them strengthen their own identities. These are just a few ways the strategic goals are being met.

Our mission emphasizes the importance of being informed citizens of a diverse world. With travel restrictions and in-person global connections on pause during the pandemic, our faculty turned their attention to exploring new opportunities where they could bring the world into the classroom. Our Bissell Grogan theme Resiliency in a Time of Change helped us launch a speaker series that once again connected us to experts on a variety of topics. Our speakers explored how we can build resiliency within ourselves, in our communities, and in the environments where we live. You will also read how our Lower School faculty, under the leadership of Sarah Wyllie, launched a new curriculum that brings the United Nations’ Global Goals to life in our classrooms. From understanding the connectedness of life below water, life on land, and climate action, our youngest students are learning how we are an interconnected world and need to be globally minded. Additionally, in all divisions of the School we invited speakers into the classroom from regions around the world using the ZOOM platform. These changes are here to stay!

Our spotlight is on the success of our graduates. In the cover story on Brandon Allen ‘12, you will read how a strong educational background, an appetite for some risk, and a foundation in following a set of core values lands a person on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. When looking to our future, there is no better place to start than our alumni body. Our sense of belonging in the world begins with belonging at school. I hope you enjoy the various stories in this edition and feel as inspired as I do when reading about the hope that lies within each one. ■

Our Lower School Buddy Groups working together.