2 minute read
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
- Mary Oliver
FROM THE
HEAD OF SCHOOL
The 2020-2021 school year brought with it surprises, disappointments, reflections, and discoveries. Bush students, faculty, staff, and families learned lessons from circumstances beyond our control and comprehension, gained strength, and persisted.
It was fitting that we chose water as the theme for this school year. In a year of unprecedented tension, uncertainty, and ambiguity, the theme taught us to be resourceful, powerful, adaptable, and fluid. We recognized that water can also blur our image of an imperfect world that is filled with bias, prejudice, and privilege. What may look on the surface a placid river hides powerful currents underneath that assist each creature’s journey or impedes their progress forward, often unbeknownst to them. This year, we decided to step out onto the riverbank to witness the effects of these currents.
We adapted to our new environment by taking on its form and shape. We became caregivers, teachers, and counselors. We gained new skills as bakers, puzzle solvers, runners, campers, and knitters. Our students decorated their rooms (their new classrooms) and adapted to remote learning. They discovered novel ways to connect, and rather than focusing on what they had lost, they sought to help others by tutoring, assisting neighbors, volunteering their time, and building community with strangers. Our faculty continued to teach and to learn. In this new medium, they excelled by finding new ways to collaborate with colleagues, to engage students through innovative practices, and to bring deep levels of empathy and compassion to their work. And throughout, the Board led with a clear vision and sense of purpose.
In the pages that follow, you will learn more about our extraordinary alumni and how they persevered during this incredible year, meet the newest members of Bush’s Senior Leadership Team who will lead the school into its next century in Seattle, read about how water impacts the community surrounding our Methow Campus, explore how Bush educators are addressing the students’ most pressing needs, and discover the powerful impact that centering student voices—and BIPOC student voices, specifically—has on making Bush a more inclusive school. These are the names, faces, and stories of the individuals who are helping Bush to build what Martin Luther King Jr. called a “beloved community.”
I am hopeful that this look into the life of Bush today encourages you to take a closer look for yourself. I know that you will be impressed with and surprised by how much has changed and, despite the decades that separate us, how much endures.
PERCY L. ABRAM, PH.D.
HEAD OF SCHOOL
