cURIOS I TY

I recently invited several alumni parents to contribute to the Pegasus Magazine, admittedly hoping to trumpet the concept of our new WINGS building, our state-of-the-art library expansion and student resource center, and share ongoing developments with true Pegasus champions. But instead, at our first meeting, they peppered me with unexpected questions, like “How did we handle the COVID lockdown?” Easy question, easy answer. But then: “Are current parents triggered by pedagogy, as podcasters routinely imply?” Wow, and finally: “Is the relentless drumbeat of division in the world-at-large seeping into Pegasus?”

Inhale, exhale.

Unwittingly, I applied the same technique I use for all emotionally-charged encounters: step back, take a break, take a breath, talk facts. Yes, friends, the world has changed out there. I was fascinated by the chorus of their curiosity, though. Then I realized: it was the safety of our longtime friendship that had empowered the questioning. What is curiosity if not the fundamental building block for collaboration? And hadn’t we convened to do just that?

The Pegasus Magazine was established in 2011 with big ambitions to seek, to learn; specifically, to ask and answer tough questions. Back then, the designation of Pegasus as a “gifted” school had created entrenched camps of agreement and dissent. The practice of academic acceleration and extracurricular-packing for a straight shot to the “sweatshirt” schools: we talked about that, too. And all of it was delivered, whenever possible, through stories Yes, things have changed. Differences have hardened.

Yet, it is essential for a school like Pegasus, dedicated to safe exploration and the respectful exchange of ideas, to recognize that the people whose views you cannot fathom each have their own story. Our alumni editorial team was determined once again to lead with curiosity and, through our stories, tackle some of today’s hotter topics.

“The Kids Are Listening” by Karla Joyce examines how our adherence to ideological “camps” might be impacting our children. It is a complex relationship, one that puts our parenting choices squarely in the hot seat. Marrie Stone’s “If We Knew Then What We Know Now” uses the stories of lessons-learned by alumni parents to help parents of today’s younger students self-reflect, and is followed with specific tools for parents of younger children in “Learning to Let Go” by Colleen Rivers, a recap of our PTO’s topical fall PEGTalk featuring Jenna Flowers, Ph.D.

As always, stories about the people who make up our Pegasus Community fill the pages of this issue, but please notice the prevalence of library-related content. Find out what our students, staff, and faculty are reading in the first installment of the Pegasus Book Club, and don’t miss Tonya Wertman’s history of our unique library programs.

And, well, I’m just going to say it: We are building our WINGS

Jason Lopez Head of School