Meet The Moment
BY KEVIN BREEN

 

THE WORK OF A SCHOOL IS DETERMINED BY THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY.
~FRANCIS PARKER

Earlier this year, I attended a conference for school leaders and encountered this Francis Parker quote during the keynote address. Since then, when I ponder my impending departure or try to make sense of this pandemic school year, the quotation gives shape to my reflections. This year, despite the inherent risks, Marshall did the work society needed it to do. We masked up, we showed up, and we “met the moment.”

That phrase, too, is borrowed from the keynote speaker, Ian Symmonds, whose address was entitled, “From Meeting the Moment to Meeting the Future.” And as long as I am borrowing freely, I will share one other quotation from his presentation. A Peter Drucker quote that I have heard a handful of other times since Marshall School made the decision to close campus and pivot to online learning last March: “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself but to act with yesterday’s logic.” Save that thought for now, as I will talk about Marshall’s future later in this essay.

Meeting the needs of society is something our school has done well for over a century, and it is time that we give the institution its due. When Duluth Cathedral High School primarily served working-class families, tuition costs were kept especially low to meet the needs of society. Through the years downtown as well as the 50+ here on the Hilltop, through wars and tragedy both local and national, Marshall School endorsed a mission centered on compassion to meet the needs of society. And when the COVID-19 coronavirus forced families to quarantine, Marshall School accepted the burden of reinventing itself to meet the needs of society.

That is why I love this school so much. While some alumni bemoan that the school has changed since they walked these halls, I love it because it does change, because it does meet the moment. When Holly Mirau offered me the opportunity to write 1,000 words on any topic for this issue of the Hilltopper, my last as Marshall’s Head of School, I knew exactly how I wanted to use this space. I want to make a case for Marshall/Cathedral; I want to ask friends and alumni to recognize the school’s vast contribution to this community, and to move us all beyond passive appreciation. What we went through last spring and summer in preparation for the upcoming school year is a recent example of why I see the work here at Marshall as deserving of more than a hearty pat on the back.

On a Friday in July, in the midst of tremendous uncertainty, I wrote to the teachers to inform them I was reducing many fulltime teachers to part-time. At that moment, the local economy looked bleak, and several large employers were reducing their workforces. We knew our families would experience job loss and be unable to pay tuition, and we were told to expect a second round of attrition impacting as many as 15% of the families who remained with us. The following week, we met with the faculty via Zoom, and the call was excruciating. The lost revenue was impactful to our teachers in real-life ways. Teachers with kids at Marshall would have to pull them from school, and teachers with two jobs would have to take a third.

Despite the challenges my decision presented, a few weeks later, when we determined that we would open school four days early and welcome students back for inperson instruction, Marshall’s teachers met the moment. They were all in, and because of that, momentum swung in our favor.

When the news began to spread that our teachers were willing to provide in-person instruction, dozens of new families started the application process. Suddenly, we thought we might meet our enrollment goal, so we began the process of reinstating the teachers to full-time. Eventually, we surpassed our goal and had to cap enrollment. And all of this was happening because we were meeting the needs of society.

Even with that late enrollment surge, we would not have been positioned to restore teachers to full-time had it not been for the generosity and vision of one Marshall family to lead the way. In December of 2019, believing that Marshall was providing a rich education for their children, the Annala family wanted us to reach more broadly into all corners of the Twin Ports, to make Marshall more affordable for families, and to make the experience of those students more successful throughout their time at Marshall. Inspired by their vision, others soon stepped forward to support the Community Fund through our Fund-a-Need and together we raised over $130,000.

I MARVEL AT OUR SCHOOL'S ABILITY TO ADAPT TO SOCIETY'S NEEDS.

Weeks later, in the early months of economic distress, the Community Fund became our ace-in-the hole. After discussion with all the lead donors, we made some of the funding available to families who encountered job loss or serious illness and were able to retain approximately fifteen families. If the work of a school is determined by the needs of society, it is our loyal friends who fuel our ability to meet those needs. In participating in the virtual auction, and designating contributions to the Community Fund, dozens of our friends “paid it forward,” allowing us to meet the moment for those families.

As for tackling turbulent times with yesterday’s logic, you needn’t worry. In addition to risking their health to teach in person, our teachers have also learned how to deliver content online and in a hybrid fashion, and our administrative team has worked nearly every day since the shutdown to meet both the moment and the future. As it turns out, disruption is a catalyst for creativity and innovation. We will take with us the best of those innovative ideas, and leave some other pandemic-specific strategies behind. As I said above, some may bemoan the ways in which we have changed as a school, but I marvel at our school’s ability to adapt to society’s needs.

At the same time, I recognize the sacrifices our team has made this year, worry about the fatigue we feel, hope they will return to a more sustainable model next fall, and seek ways to “move beyond thanks” in recognition of their contributions.

I will move on from Marshall knowing the school is poised and ready for the future. Our next leader will not bring yesterday’s logic to the school’s next set of challenges and opportunities. Together with a faculty that always meets the moment, they will meet the future. With that in mind, I will move on from here fully confident that Marshall will always meet the evolving needs of society. That said, I will also move on hoping this great school is finally earning the respect it deserves. It is a pillar of the community having served some 6,000 alums for more than a century.

One of the many ways a school community can “move beyond thanks” and become more supportive is through giving. If you agree that our teachers did something extraordinary this year, consider a gift to the Marlene David Fund, which supplements faculty salaries. If the vision of the Annala family inspires you and you would like to see Marshall make a difference in all corners of the Twin Ports, consider a gift to the Community Fund. If you were touched by the guidance of Karen Snyder, Lori Durant, or any of our other instructors—such as Tom Diener and Terry Schoer whose service to the school spans more than thirty years—then help us make our expanded outdoor education space a reality and support Snyder-Durant Park. And if you see the value in supporting this excellent independent school for being the beacon on the hill we strive to be, consider supporting the Annual Fund that helps fuel the fire of the student experience here.

When you support the school in the way that appeals to you, you will be moving beyond thank you—and that will feel really good to us in a year such as this—a time when our little school has once again met the needs of society