HEAD OF SCHOOL
A ME S S AGE F R OM C RIS S Y C ÁC ERE S , HE A D OF S C HOOL One of our community reads this summer was The Art of Possibility, which focuses on the ways in which our framing of circumstances and situations affects our actions, perspectives, feelings, what is possible, and the overall outcome. If you look at moments of challenge as opportunities, then you can see ways forward that capture the strength and beauty of all around you. If you can develop an asset thinking frame of possibility, then you are able to view most actions as ingredients towards something greater. If you can make space for the light of others while also respecting your own, then you can approach moments before you with a collective and partnership stance of engagement. The past 19 months have tested our resolve, inner peace, physical and mental health, motivation, and overall connectivity to the world. Notwithstanding those realities, Brooklyn Friends has persisted, steadily focusing on our school’s ability to be a consistently open and healthy space for our students as well as our community’s ability to gain from one another’s light. I can name with certainty that we have done just that. We are a community that, with humility and resolve, takes confident steps towards continued growth and a realization of all that is possible when we work together as a community. This resolve requires consistency and mutual respect and the centering of the light of all individuals, which means always upholding the highest expectations of one another. It also means making space for our tough moments, learning from them, and recognizing them as essential elements of our beautifully imperfect humanity. My pride as your leader resides in my ever-present lens
to lean on and celebrate one another as a testament of mutual support. We ARE Brooklyn Friends School because living our Quaker identity challenges us to consider how we act on our values daily, injecting introspection and reflection as a core ingredient within our community.
The job of the leader is to speak to the possibility. —Benjamin Zander towards all that is possible for our magnificent and worthy 2-year-old through 12th grade Quaker school in Downtown Brooklyn. The theme of this edition of The Life is consistent with the words that we have been stating since we all regrouped in September—and equally consistent to the actions that our beloved school has been exemplifying since 1867—We Are Brooklyn Friends School. This simple, yet highly nuanced phrase means different things to different people— across varied times and spaces. We ARE Brooklyn Friends School because we are willing to own all parts of ourselves, rather than a selective version – a limited sliver – of our history and learn from it. We ARE Brooklyn Friends School because our centering of children and young adults is steady, and we are unwavering in our honoring of childhood.
We ARE Brooklyn Friends School because we carry a mutual love and commitment to our school, and we KNOW that our students are needed in the world. Our families exemplify this as they speak to the ways in which our school manifests itself into the lived experiences within their homes. Our alumni demonstrate this, as they vibrantly allow their lives to speak in the spirit of service and advocacy for all humanity. Our colleagues model this as they navigate pillars of complexity throughout a global health pandemic while remaining centered on the support and championing of their students each day. In the end, We Are Brooklyn Friends School refers to overall brilliance and might—in and out of our classrooms—guided by the Quaker belief that there is a Divine Light in everyone. Our journey of continuous possibilities is dynamically unfolding, and yet, all we have done is scratch the surface. As our story grows, I look forward to continuously engaging with you. With sincere gratitude, and in partnership,
We ARE Brooklyn Friends School because we have increasingly learned
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