This Sunday, Belmont Day will welcome nine faculty and administrators from a collection of independent schools who serve as the AISNE (Association of Independent Schools in New England) Accreditation Visiting Team for our ten-year accreditation visit. Technically speaking, it has been eleven years since AISNE’s last visit (the pandemic put a one-year pause on the process for all schools), and I can’t wait.
My origin story at Belmont Day began with the accreditation process in 2013 when I was a member of the previous visiting team. In a quick summary of that story, when I visited Belmont Day with the team, I fell in love with the school. So much so that immediately after the accreditation visit, I went directly to my then-head of school to explain that should the headship at BDS ever become available, I would be first in line to apply. I am extremely fortunate to now say, ‘The rest is history,’ and here I am, starting my ninth year as Belmont Day’s head of school.
Because of my fond memories of that visit and how it inspired me, I bristle at the metaphors folks use that compare an AISNE visit to a car or house inspection, a time capsule, or an annual physical. To be clear, I understand why these are natural comparisons. It’s never easy to open yourself up for scrutiny and potential criticism. But it is essential. Having worked closely with AISNE heads who serve on their membership committee, I can assure you that the AISNE accreditation process is much more than a check-up ending with a “try to get more exercise” generality as the visiting team exits the building.
What AISNE’s visit provides is an opportunity for our entire community to reflect on the purpose and mission of our school, the systems we have in place, and how we deliver on the promise of inspiring and challenging every student in our care. It allows us to learn where our blindspots are and where our excellence shines.
I am immensely proud of the dedication and hard work that our team puts in each day across our campus. The AISNE-focused research, interviews, and writing done all last school year have prepared us for this moment. From Sunday afternoon through Wednesday evening, nine visitors will provide us with a clinically distanced, clear-eyed view of who we are and how we are doing.
I look forward to this journey down memory lane, and more importantly, I am excited for us to take this meaningful step together on the road ahead.
