From the Head of School

“Success does not come without risks, failures, growth, and collaboration. Our job is to give our students the tools to know when and how to ask for help, take healthy risks, and iterate.”

Dear Prairie Families,

A core tenet of our mission is to prepare young people for leadership — to help them become citizens who make a difference through independent critical analysis, creativity, communication, and collaboration.

The proof is in all of you, our alumni who have already carved every imaginable path from Prairie out into the world as leaders in every aspect of society. As we all know and will read in this issue, TPS alumni continually make a difference in their respective communities. Here in Racine and surrounding neighborhoods, all over the country, and across the globe, our Prairie family is making a positive impact: through service within the Miss America organization, working to get to the top of their game (literally), or giving back to Prairie as part of a brand-new construction project — just to give a few examples. I hope that all of you will share your stories with us in the months ahead so that we can celebrate your impact.

Here on campus, our faculty continues making a difference in the lives of our current students amidst the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. Campus remains fully open, as it has been since July of 2020, with all of our students in person every day. Learning and growth is happening across the school and Prairie traditions have been temporarily adjusted but safely continue.

Our faculty’s commitment to excellence helps our students find what it is that they can and will do to make their communities, workplaces, and families stronger. We strive for every student to develop a robust work ethic as a scholar, artist, athlete, and leader; a well-rounded education that emphasizes showing up and giving your best as the key foundation of a fruitful life. I have no doubt that we will be reading about many of them in future editions of this magazine, well after they have left our campus.

Success does not come without risks, failures, growth, and collaboration. Our job is to give our students the tools to know when and how to ask for help, take healthy risks, and iterate. Failing forward, learning from our struggles — building grit, resilience, and determination in the face of uncertainty — happens through competitive athletics, performing arts, and active, studentcentered classrooms. These are the core of a Prairie education and they can’t happen over Zoom.

As we approach the end of one of the most challenging years in Prairie’s history, we are grateful for the families, alumni, and friends who have been there as we’ve tried, iterated, and succeeded in maintaining all that makes Prairie, Prairie through the pandemic. I have never felt more fortunate to be a part of this school community and I am glad that all of us — alumni, parents, students, and faculty — are in this together. Thank you for being a part of Team Prairie. #BetterTogether.

Sincerely,