Peck News: Fall/Winter 2022

Dear Peck Community,

Since the early 1960s when then-Headmaster Tom Green brought the phrase Consideration of Others to Peck, our community’s focus has been steadfast: how we treat each other, how we impact each other, how we respect each other, how we better each other is the cornerstone of the Peck experience.

Core to Consideration of Others and our current InDeCoRe program is our strong belief in the transformative power of belonging. That’s because we know that it is only when students feel that they truly belong and are valued that they can give (and receive) the most from their Peck educational experience.

We want all students—and all community members, for that matter—to feel the true embrace of the Peck community.

I’ve been blessed to witness time and time again the warmth and love of the Peck community. I witnessed it when my own family joined Peck in 2014 as we were integrated lovingly and intentionally into the fabric of this community.

I witnessed it recently when, after my second-grade son missed a week of school due to the flu, he was greeted one day by a stack of “get well” and “we miss you” cards from his classmates and teachers. I watched him light up with emotion as he read the cards—he felt loved and embraced and valued. It was yet another wonderful Peck moment.

Just as importantly, I witness it in everyday moments.

I see it in the child who holds the door open for a classmate. I see it when a student extends a hand to a peer who is feeling left out at recess. My heart is filled with joy when I hear students curiously learning about one another and celebrating their similarities and differences. I see it in the way our faculty and staff look out for one another. I marvel when I see our parents extending themselves to support each other, our faculty and staff, and the students. This is a community that cares, and the impact is real.

Peck has many rituals and traditions that bring us together as grade levels, as divisions, and as a school community. But it is the purpose of each gathering that speaks to the heart of our community: a genuine care and respect for one another.

It is the care, respect, and shared experiences that, in turn, help foster a true sense of belonging.

In this issue of Peck News, we take a closer look at some of the pillars of the Peck experience: breaking bread together during our Family Style Dining program, the myriad micro-communities that exist within our larger community, and the beloved Downy/Redhead competition. We also catch up with members of our extended family: former associate teachers, our friends from the Kopila Valley School in Nepal, and, celebrating their 10-year reunion from Peck, several members of the Class of 2012.

Whether you are a past, present or future member of the Peck family, you know that the bonds forged between colleagues, between teachers and students, and between families last a lifetime. Go Pride!

Warmly,

Andrew C. Delinsky Head of School