Every school day at BHS we gather as an entire school for “Community.” This period serves a number of purposes, and on Friday’s, I generally have a chance to share thoughts with the students and faculty. The faculty jokingly refer to this as “Rick’s Soap Box,” as Friday’s are my day to preach. This Friday was the one-year anniversary of Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine, and I took a moment to connect that act with the lives of our students.
A year ago, I was incredulous that Russia would invade Ukraine. For whatever reason – too many viewings of the Berlin Wall crumbling or my recollections of Glastnost – I can’t say – but I just thought that an invasion of this nature would not happen in my lifetime. It has, however, and the geopolitical challenges of the modern world seem to be multiplying. Today’s leaders will need to understand the history of how we reached this point in time and the critical thinking skills to interpret that information in a way that will, hopefully, lead us forward safely.
Our students are not yet ready to be today’s leaders, but they will be the leaders of tomorrow. I am unsure of the world they will inherit, but I feel strongly that they will be ready for the challenge. At BHS, they are building a foundation that nurtures their intellectual growth – that is they will confront things such as y=mx+b, f=ma, and the writings of thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and Herodotus. In addition, they will be asked to develop a sense of virtue. They will need to consider things like, how to use AI, how to care for friends in need and how to manage conflict. As a school that is guided by The Foundations of Community, our students “relish the opportunity to participate in activities that will challenge (us) them intellectually, physically, and spiritually.” Thus, when it is time for our students to lead, they will have developed themselves fully, and hopefully be prepared for a world that will be even more challenging than it is today.
Beech Hill School students will be ready for the challenge.