Dear Hilltopper Community, With the start of school just around the corner, now is a great time to start up our Community Conversations once again. I hope you find these monthly letters to be a helpful way to engage with the life of the Marshall community. As always, I am glad to hear from you. Kind regards, The dozen of us who work during the summer are often asked what we do when the kids aren't here. The simple answer is that we plan all sorts of things, including some things that may not seem as if they require any planning at all—things such as walking through the front door. Four years ago, after meeting with school safety experts, we added new door locks and surveillance equipment to the main entrance. Most families understood the necessity of that project, yet others spoke nostalgically of a simpler time when open doors made everyone feel a bit more welcome. Taking that feedback into consideration, we soon began greeting all of our students at the front door each morning. Now our front entry is safer yet we still do our best to make every child feel welcome. Creating Space for Growth When visitors and students enter the front lobby now, we want them to be able to see who we are right away. As they move through the double doors, we hope they notice the pillars outside the Hilltop CafĂ©, which offer a "welcome" in every language, a testament to our global programming. As they turn towards the front office, we like to point out our new Statement of Community, and explain that respect and compassion are central to our Mission. This year, we are especially eager to welcome new and returning students through the front door. They will only have to step ten feet into the building in order to see directly into our newly renovated, brightly colored arts classrooms. Part of our vision for the renovation of our arts classrooms was to put active, student-centered learning on display. Families who are not familiar with independent education wonder what is different about Marshall School. This year, they will see that difference as soon as they enter the building. Our use of space is influenced by the Reggio Emelia philosophy. One noteworthy aspect of the Reggio approach is the celebration of three instructors: the student, the teacher, and the environment. As we remodeled our fine arts and music classrooms, we drew inspiration from the Reggio approach, seeking to design spaces that will serve as a third teacher. For instance, the choir room will allow for more movement, the art studios will have better natural lighting, the practice rooms will facilitate group work, and lab spaces and recording studios will encourage individual expression. There are so many reasons to be excited about this renovation. Our classrooms have served many functions since this building first opened in 1965. The new strings classroom, for instance, once housed auto shop, so we removed the hydraulic lift that once hoisted cars as well as the drains that collected oil. As it turns out, Mr. Risdon did not have much use for either artifact, so he willingly swapped them out for practice rooms that can accommodate small ensembles. The space is ready to enhance the learning; all we need now are students to show us the way. I hope you find time to stop by and see us in action. We will be glad to greet you at the front door. |