As a head of school, you learn that when you take a bit of time away, there is never a “perfect” week for your travels. Something is always happening at school, something special that you will miss, a moment of learning, sharing, caring, and joy that you wish you had experienced firsthand. The school is in more than capable hands, that’s not what I’m talking about here. This feeling is a little more … selfish, I guess. Okay, let’s just call it what it is … it’s FOMO.
And, of course, this morning, from the numerous reports I’ve received from campus, I definitely missed out on a wonderful and inspiring enrichment assembly. Today, the Belmont Day community welcomed Jeff Grantz from Illuminus, a projection-based digital arts production group that empowers local emerging creatives to transform their neighborhoods within the city of Boston. Through a combination of engaging audio and colorful visuals, he taught our students and faculty about the work, the artsy, and, most importantly, the mission of Illuminus.
Our enrichment assemblies have a long history now of not just “Wow!” moments, but of truly expanding our learning and inspiring our community. As a complement to our beloved sharing assemblies, in which students learn from each other, enrichment assemblies cast a wider net to find experts in a huge variety of fields. In the past few years alone, we’ve ventured to the outer reaches of space with an astrophysicist, danced with a hungry lion for Lunar New Year, sung with young musicians from The Loop, and learned about the intersection of art and science through the medium of bacteria (you read that correctly). And who could forget the kangaroo?! Hopping around the Barn introducing itself to students and faculty as we learned about protecting endangered species and habitat conservation.
For each of these moments of amazement, joy, and education, we have our parent community to thank. Each school year, in partnership with Chris Parsons, our theater teacher and assembly coordinator, a small group of volunteers through the parents’ association to imagine, research, and book the speakers, performers, and organizations. And the costs associated with bringing them here to BDS are all covered by the parents’ association through the support from all of you. As investments go, this is one that you can see growing directly on the faces of our students as their eyes grow wider and their worlds expand.
So while I missed out on this morning’s enrichment assembly, I’ll take comfort in knowing two things. One, there will be great joy in hearing all about it from our students as soon as I’m back on Monday. And two, I know that there are more unexpected, inspiring, meaningful, and fun enrichment assemblies on the way. Thank you to everyone who makes these moments possible and for filling me with a very special sense of FOMO at Belmont Day.
Have a great weekend, everyone, and I’ll see you next week!
