A Culture of Sustainability In education circles today, the word “sustainability” is both ubiquitous and elastic, referring in different contexts to the various environmental, cultural, and financial commitments that a school might make. At NWS, all of these meanings come together in the person of Mark Terry who is retiring next month after founding the school and then spending 35 years helping to refine it. In his groundbreaking book, Teaching for Survival, published ten years before he, Paul Raymond, and Ellen Taussig opened the doors at 1415 Summit, Mark made an eloquent case for weaving the environment into the entire fabric of the school, for making sustainability an organizing principle around which to build an holistic education. He wrote: “…environment cannot be taught without teaching humanity and vice versa. Respect for one’s fellows, for environment, and for posterity must be one. None of these can be meaningful without the operation of the others. The humaneness of the school environment itself must be constructively maintained." Clearly, the school Mark helped found a decade later was, and remains, utterly informed by this vision. And what better evidence of its enduring power than the testimony that follows in these pages of alumni representing each of the school’s three decades? Though taking very different paths to do so—journalism, science, consulting, and advocacy—all are having an impact on some of the most vexing environmental issues facing the world. And all cite their experience at Northwest, including its teachers, programs, and culture, as formative in shaping their life’s work. Sophie Daudon, ’09 (see profile on page 26), in describing our human tendency to become overwhelmed in the face of daunting problems like climate change, shared the following lesson from her time at Northwest: “Most things that you can change effectively are reliant on human connections….This is what I got from Northwest— community is a really integral part of the school and I now feel it is the most important thing.” As we prepare to bid farewell to Mark and to Catherine (his wife and our long-time registrar), I have no doubt at all that the culture they’ve created and nurtured at Northwest—the culture Sophie recalls—is indeed sustainable. We strive daily to maintain the “humaneness of the school environment,” informed by our commitment to the environment and to social justice; to the mantra of courtesy and common sense; to a diverse, inclusive community; to vigorous intellectual engagement with the world of ideas; and to the arts and creativity. These commitments make up our institutional DNA. Over the next several months, as we celebrate the Terrys’ unique and lasting contributions to the school, we hope to enlist the entire community’s support for an effort to realize more fully one of these commitments. A central tenet of the school’s philosophy, composed in 1980, reads, “Ethnic, racial, religious, and economic diversity are essential for the highest quality of secondar y education.” The Raymond Taussig Terry Financial Aid Endowment, launched in 2007 and recently renamed in honor of Mark’s retirement, now stands at just under $4M and helps ensure some of that diversity, providing financial support to students who would otherwise be unable to attend Northwest. While proud of its growth over the past eight years, our aspirations are far greater: ultimately, we want to increase the number of students we can fund from the current 15% to 20%, guaranteeing an even more diverse population will be able to participate in the life of this extraordinary community. This will require a concerted effort on the part of ever yone whose life was altered during their time in the House. We’ll keep you apprised of our plans and how you can help us realize this dream. In the meantime, I hope many of you will make it back to campus In June to celebrate Mark and Catherine.
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Best wishes,
Mike McGill
,
Head of School
ALUMNI HAPPENHAPPENINGS 2004 Class Reunion The NWS class of 2004 was thrilled to reconnect at their 10-year reunion this December. Classmates met up in the morning “at school” for coffee, catching up, and a tour of the new building with family and faculty. Thanks so much to all who dropped by, and to Tamara, Jeff, and Kevin A. for corralling us through the halls as grown adults! The reunion continued later in the day at Black Bottle in Belltown for an extended happy hour. As James Kessler wrote after the fact: “I’m not sure how I’d forgotten what a fun and sweet and awesome bunch we are. So good to see everyone and talk and laugh and dance together!” It really was. A huge thank you to Nica Horvitz and Melody Moruarte for
Alumni Soccer Game Basketball wasn’t the only sport played by NWS alums at our event on January 2. A few grads played some soccer on the roof-top field with NWS faculty and Coach Jeff Blair! planning this fun event!
Alumni Basketball Game Did you miss the 2015 Alumni vs. Varsity Basketball games on January 2? After two thrilling, nail-biter games, both of the NWS Varsity teams came out victorious! The Girls’ Team won 48-44 and the Boys’ Team won 65-53. Congrats to all of our players, and thanks to the supportive spectators, including alums, parents, and NWS faculty who made this a wonderful evening. Go NWS!
Save the Date! NWS Alumni vs. NWS Girls' Varsity Basketball Game
Come back to the House to enjoy time with NWS classmates and faculty during our Alumni Reunion
Add to the Archives! NWS Alumni vs. NWS Boys' Varsity Basketball Game
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We need more flashback photos—can you help us grow the NWS archives? Send your photos of NWS events, festivals, community meetings, trips, or candid shots in the hallways to: alumni@northwestschool.org.