On Wednesday, our Board of Directors met for their Fall/Winter meeting. As a nonprofit, the Board plays a critical role in governing the School, and we are fortunate to have directors that are bright, committed and insightful. As Head of School, I am a non-voting member of the Board, and I can provide our directors with a sense of day to day life at BHS. As such, I typically am provided an opportunity to brief the Board on the “State of the School.” Most days, I am very focused on individual trees in the forest that is BHS, but when I take a moment to consider the “State of the School,” I am forced to pull back and look at the forest.
It was a genuine pleasure to provide the Board with an incredibly positive report. By all measures, The Beech Hill School is doing quite well. I am especially pleased to report that, despite the persistence of individual cases of Covid, we have completed the fall trimester in a most “normal” manner. As the overwhelming majority of the faculty have been teaching since before the pandemic struck, we were thrilled to reintroduce those things that we had to put on hold during the pandemic. Only 5 students, however, attended The Beech Hill School prior to the pandemic. Thus, for almost all our students, normal is not the same as pre-pandemic.
Perhaps it is because I am teaching history this year, but I could not help but compare the current state of the Beech Hill School to The Renaissance – or rebirth. Out of the dark times of the pandemic, the school is a buzz with activity and our students are reaching new heights. Like the Parents’ Association’s reintroduction of Friday Pizza Lunch and the upcoming Gingerbread Fundraiser, things that were at one time old, have become new again.
As I shared with the Board, I am grateful that I am able witness all the numerous ways in which our school community is flourishing. Overall, it is truly and exciting time to be a part of The Beech Hill School!
- SPECIAL ADDITION TO THIS WEEK’S BLOG -
The Beech Hill School’s Robotics team placed 3rd overall in Saturday’s FIRST LEGO State Championships; far and away the best finish in school history! What an incredible accomplishment - Ms. Fries and her team should be so proud of this extraordinary feat – I know that I am so incredibly proud of them!