Innovative thinking pays dividends

One of my favorite expressions is “best idea wins.” When I use it at faculty meetings, it’s not to challenge teachers to go beyond the standard syllabus or class activity to try something different in the classroom. I challenge them to really think outside the box, to find new and better ways to teach and mentor our students.

This summer, that spirit of innovation has paid off for two of our teachers who have been recognized outside of our own Rivers community for their groundbreaking ideas. I am so proud that the programs they conceived of and implemented at Rivers have gained the respect of top universities and institutions.

In June, Kate Wade’s RISE program for 10th graders helped earn her a $20,000 fellowship toward her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. The Gardner Carney Leadership Institute presented her with their first ever cgLi/Penn Fellowship in Pedagogy of Leadership, citing her “outstanding work in building the RISE program at Rivers.”

Shortly after that, Julian Willard, founder and chair of our Interdisciplinary Studies Department, was appointed a research fellow at Yale University's Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics as well as a visiting scholar at The Hastings Center, the premier center for bioethics research in this country.

These four institutions are the best of the best in the fields of leadership training and interdisciplinary studies. It’s wonderful that Kate and Julian will have the opportunity to expand their own horizons among like-minded academicians (they’ll both continue teaching at Rivers!).

Kate and Julian are just two of our many teachers who thrive on finding a better way to achieve their goals. Dave Burzillo’s BIG History course was a prototype for the Gates Foundation’s curriculum for teaching history online anywhere in the world. Our 21^st Century Focus Group – Rivers’ think tank – meets regularly to explore what’s new in education and to look for ways to take the best of those ideas and make them work even better at Rivers.

So when I suggest “best idea wins,” I never know what might happen, but I do know it will be exciting to watch it unfold.

Service Above and Beyond

One of my most deeply held beliefs is that if we graduate students from Rivers who are great academicians, great athletes, or great artists, but who are not great human beings, then we have failed as an institution. Key to achieving that goal is instilling in our students a genuine sense of caring for their fellow man, whether it is helping a fellow student with a math concept or running a campus road race for financial aid.

Sure, we have a minimum requirement for community service for graduation, but so many of our students go far, far beyond those 30 hours. Beginning in Middle School, leadership and community service are linked together as a natural extension of our definition of leadership – to be your best self and positively influence others. Middle School leadership days are often structured around service activities. That intertwining continues in the Upper School, where a key component of the Grade 10 RISE program is for each student to reflect on what he or she feels passionate about and then initiate a service project to address that issue.

Fifteen juniors just spent the first week of winter break in New Orleans participating in a rebuilding project in that still-devastated city. One of our juniors has actually founded her own non-profit organization to help bring education to young African girls – I don’t know many adults with that kind of drive. There are the Middle School programs in conjunction with the Natick Service Council, the Special Olympics run by our tenth graders, the Rivers Givers fundraising efforts to support local youth and teen outreach programs – the list goes on and on.

What I’m most pleased by – and what makes me believe we are doing something right – is the genuine enthusiasm I sense in our students. They are becoming the caring human beings we need for the future.

Click here to read more about the recent service trip to New Orleans. 

Ready for the Real World

One of the key goals of our mission here at Rivers is to “prepare our students for leadership in a world that needs their talents, imagination, intellect, and compassion.” For the past seven years, Rivers has gone a step farther to prepare students for the future by arranging summer internships in local business and research institutions. These internships are specifically designed to enable Rivers students to be productive members at their respective workplaces, rather than observers as summer interns often are.

Rivers’ interns share their experiences with the rest of the community during the summer through Facebook posts and at symposia on campus throughout the fall. It is so impressive to hear what these students have accomplished at such a high level. How many high school students have been invited to present papers at national conferences? Last year, Rebecca Iafrati ’12 spoke to the American Heart Association about her research at Boston University Medical Center on the relationship between obesity and blood clots. The previous year, three interns -- Alex Post ’10, Aaron Behr ’11, and Charlie Harrison ’11 -- presented their summer research at Bruker Daltonics during a national chemistry and spectroscopy conference.

The summer internship program is just one of a number of initiatives at Rivers to make learning relevant to the 21st century – a time that requires students to think creatively and independently, and be an effective team player. Our interdisciplinary courses, leadership lab, and flipped classrooms all help give our students the skills and experiences they need to face their future with confidence.

Please click here to watch a video story about three of this summer’s science interns and what they gained from their experiences at Reactive Innovations and Bruker Daltonics.

Expressing Our "Life Force"

This summer, I had the opportunity to read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. The story prompted me to think about Jobs and Apple, and the question "What makes an organization great?"

I've spent a lot of time throughout my career thinking about this question and reading books and articles about the essential ingredients that make up great organizations – leadership, technical expertise, collaboration, management techniques, marketing, strategic planning, and execution.

But the biography of Jobs gave me a new slant. I came to the conclusion that perhaps the most significant reason for an organization's greatness is the passion to bring an idea to life and the ability to find a means of expressing that idea.

Apple's greatness stemmed from Jobs' obsession with bringing the marriage of technology and humanity to life – the functionality and practical work of computers married to a belief in creativity, elegance, art, design, and experience – the human dimension so antithetical to technology before Jobs. He was committed to finding ways to express this idea.

In this regard, he had so much integrity that he demanded even the inside of the Mac be elegantly designed. This demand was the truest reflection of his passion for making incarnate his idea of the need to combine functionality and elegance in technology.

Yes, Jobs wanted to beat Microsoft and other competitors, but the genius of Apple did not arise from that desire. Rather, it came from this passion to birth an idea. It was Jobs the artist, not Jobs the businessman or computer expert, who was the essential element in Apple's greatness.

The great dancer and choreographer Martha Graham wrote a poem that captures this concept so perfectly, and I quote in part:

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy
A quickening
That is translated through you into action
And because there is only one of you
In all of time
This expression is unique.

And if you block it, it will never exist
Through any other medium,
And be lost.
The world will not have it.

During the past year at Rivers, we have spent a great deal of time reflecting on what Excellence with Humanity means to us. What are we most passionate about at Rivers? We’ve distilled our thoughts down to five attributes that we use to define Excellence with Humanity - five areas that illustrate the "life force" of this idea:

• Excellence: We’re committed to maintaining high standards in and out of the classroom. 
• Quality of Experience: It matters to us that our students are happy - that they gain a sense of self-efficacy and autonomy by facing the challenges we give them.
• Relationships: When we know and care about our students as multi-dimensional human beings, they will stretch for excellence and be willing to take risks. 
• Innovation: We’re continually looking for better ways to live our mission. 
• Character: We want to graduate great academicians, artists and athletes, but we also want to graduate great human beings.

At Rivers, Excellence with Humanity is OUR collective art - it is our creation and it demands that we seek its expression in the work we do.

This is the mission and the promise we are committed to at Rivers.

Leading an Independent School

Last month, Independent School, the quarterly magazine of the National Association of Independent Schools, published an article I co-wrote with a retired head of school about strategic thinking in schools. Cynthia and I loved working on the article two summers ago as we each reflected on our own experiences as leaders of independent schools. As the article points out, many heads sadly tend to become problem-solvers instead of thinkers and visionaries. The job certainly lends itself to falling into this trap. But too often the result is that no one is thinking deeply about what the school is and what the school can be in the future. Strategic thinking, supposedly what schools are paying heads to do, takes a back seat to solving problems with the head becoming the problem-solver-in-chief. 
 
Good strategic planning requires research, study, and deep thinking. Unfortunately, heads often substitute their own biases and values for the hard work of thinking strategically. As a result, schools unnecessarily limit their potential. 


Over the coming 24 months Rivers will begin its own strategic planning process. It will do so, however, only after we have completed our self-study for accreditation next year and an analysis of the intensely competitive independent school market in the Boston area. In short, we will look inward to see how we can do a better job of living our mission and look outward to determine if those improvements are important to prospective families. Both perspectives matter. Gazing inward provides the grist to inspire our educators; focusing on the external grounds our vision in the reality of the market place. Great strategic planning marries the two perspectives.

A Spirit of Innovation at Rivers

One of the defining values that has emerged in the last several years at Rivers is a spirit of innovation. Innovation at Rivers does not mean chasing the latest educational fad. Rather, it means teachers and administrators using their imaginations to find new and better ways to live our mission. Critical to living this value is the extensive professional development Rivers provides its faculty. New knowledge sparks the creative juices of our teachers as they look for ways to apply this knowledge – not to solve problems – but rather to build new programs.

The list of new programs started by teachers at Rivers is astonishing. The creation of summer science internships led to the establishment of summer business internships. The nationally recognized middle school leadership program, invented entirely by the middle school faculty, led to the establishment of the upper school leadership program. Even students get in on the act. Four years ago a senior approached a math teacher and asked if he could be her assistant in one of her classes. Four years later Rivers has a well developed teaching assistant program. Rising seniors have to apply for this program, attend every class, and can actually earn half of a credit.

Several years ago one of our physics teachers organized his classes in small groups or pods, in which students helped one another, debated, and learned from both the teacher and their pod-mates. Today, this method of organizing classes is used throughout our program. We consider it essential for preparing students for the new workplace where teamwork and communication skills are so vital. A few weeks ago I asked an upper school math teacher why she uses pods: "Because there is so much learning that takes place going down the wrong road and this forces students to articulate why they are doing what they are doing." I loved her response!

Telling a Story Through the Lens of Diversity

The following is a guest post by Rivers faculty member, John Bower. John is the Director of Diversity. He is also a French teacher and choral director in the Middle School. 

Historical figures don’t make their way into the classroom every day, but last Thursday such an occasion took place here at Rivers. Ernest Green, one of the nine African-American students who first integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, addressed our community in connection with the all-school read from this past summer, Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Beals. When I heard he would be coming, I immediately recognized it as an opportunity to look closely at the relationship between diversity and leadership. The Middle School put all academic classes on hold for the day, and I, along with the Middle School Leadership Committee, planned an entire day devoted to the idea of telling a story through the lens of diversity.

The day started with a screening of “Fighting Back,” a segment of the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize that focuses on the history of the Little Rock Nine. This showing created some context for Ernest Green’s presentation. The students then broke up into discussion groups and addressed the question: What is the value in having a diverse community?

Responses included:

“It’s important to learn about other peoples’ cultures because the world is a really diverse place.”

“Well, diversity isn’t just about race. It’s about what makes a person unique, so I’d say Rivers is really diverse. We learn a lot about each other every day.”

Following Ernest Green’s presentation, the students then had the option of writing a letter of thanks to Ernest Green or a reflection of prose/poetry. Here is one of the poems from a sixth grade student:

“Thanks To You”

Thanks to you, Mr. Green,
there is history.
Thanks to you there are endless possibilities.
Thanks to you schools aren’t separate.
We can be different, but not afraid.
Thanks to you, sir,
race does not decide our rights.
Thanks to you prejudice is not encouraged
or expected. It is frowned upon.
Thanks to you and eight others
we won’t segregate.
Thanks to you the color of your skin makes no difference.
Thanks to you, Mr. Green,
the world is what it is today.

In the afternoon, faculty volunteers spoke on a panel of sorts in front of the middle school community. Each volunteer (Bruce Taylor, Whitney Robbins, Matt Goethals, and I) was given the prompt: “If you really knew me…” Through this prompt, we illustrated the significance of sharing stories about parts of our identities that are important to us as a way of building trusting relationships and educating one another. The presentations were heartfelt and honest, and the students mirrored that honesty as they presented their own stories in advisory groups. The entire day was a success, and as the Director of Diversity, I couldn’t be happier with the way students were able to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of appreciating each person’s stories and experiences.

Too often we view diversity in terms of numbers and statistics. Here at Rivers, we recognize and appreciate each student’s individual identity, and by making the community a comfortable, safe space to share our stories, the student body will undoubtedly be prepared to participate with confidence and courage in a global society.

Relationships and the RISE Program

Tenth Grade Dean Kate Wade recently launched RISE (Reflection and Introspection for Service Education) for the sophomore class at Rivers. The program's ultimate goal is for students to identify their leadership strengths and use them in service to others. Critical to accomplishing this goal are the strong, caring relationships these students have with teachers, coaches, and advisors.

Relationships are a staple of independent schools. Many schools promote the close relationships between students and adults as a defining element of their culture. But what distinguishes Rivers is that adults use these relationships to challenge and inspire students to become leaders – defined at Rivers as “being your best self and positively influencing others.”

Rivers is quite intentional in using relationships to help students grow. Two years ago the Rivers Leadership Committee led a faculty meeting in which teachers had to practice giving effective feedback – another example of using the strength of relationships. Likewise, the RISE program will require adults to give "authentic and compassionate" feedback to students about leadership qualities and skills. Students can only learn about their leadership strengths in this way when they know that the adults providing feedback care about them.

We care about kids at Rivers. We would not be in this business if we didn't. But the real challenge is to translate that caring into action – purposeful action with the goal that each student realizes his or her potential in both performance and character.

The Spirit of Good Sportsmanship

Several years ago the Rivers varsity girls' soccer team played against a team not affiliated with the ISL. Throughout the game, two fathers from the other school continuously yelled complaints about the officials and their supposed bias in favor of Rivers. Their comments were loud and heard by others watching the game. For some of us, their behavior was a major distraction, and I remember some of the players looking over toward them during breaks in the action.

After the game, our coach, Susanna Donahue, said something to me that I will never forget:

"When parents act that way, the game isn't fun anymore," she said. "I will never have my team play that school again."

She was right. Competing on the athletic field demands a great deal from our children, and there are wonderful life lessons to be learned. But competing should be fun too. The behavior of the yelling parents, and their willingness to sacrifice sportsmanship and respect for winning sapped the joy from competing.

My Message to Rivers Students: "Be Better Than I Was"

Welcome to my blog! I am always looking for new ways to share what the Rivers experience is all about. This blog will serve as a place for me to tell the stories that tap into the essence of Rivers, and occasionally post information about parenting and education.

I’d like to start with my message to students on Orientation Day. I delivered a version of this speech to students and faculty at our opening all-school meeting last week.

Please check back frequently for new blog entries! I’ll be posting at least every other week.

Thanks,
Tom

When I was in 8th grade, there was a student who was the class bully. He gained power by creating a small group of insiders. This group intimidated innocent kids, making fun of them or isolating them by talking behind their backs. If you were invited into the group, you didn’t dare refuse because the bully and his friends might go after you.

This was not a great year for me. First, in an effort to fit in, I said some pretty nasty things to other kids – things I am not proud of at all. Second, I clearly lacked the moral courage to stand up to the bully and his friends. And third, when I look back at this time, I feel like it was a lost year for me. The culture of intimidation prevented me from being myself. I was afraid to take risks, afraid to do anything that might draw attention. I couldn't be me.

We built a new Campus Center at Rivers in part because we wanted to enhance the sense of community here. We want to create spaces that will invite connections: student to student, student to teacher, and teacher to teacher.

But there are limits to what a brand new facility can do. At the end of the day, the real strength of the Rivers community resides in each of us – each student and each adult – and relies on our adherence to the school's core values of respect, honesty, responsibility, diversity, and compassion.

If you leave Rivers as a great student, athlete, artist, musician, or actor – whatever it might be – but not a good human being who embraces the core values as a central part of who you are, then we will have failed.

We have a very simple definition of leadership at Rivers: “Be your best self and positively influence others."

At Rivers, we expect each of you to be a leader. We expect each of you to respect others no matter what differences may exist among us. We expect each of you to fulfill your promises and obligations. If you make a commitment, follow through on it. Others are counting on you.

We expect each of you to be honest with one other not just when the consequences of telling the truth are positive or neutral, but also at the times when it is not in your self-interest to tell the truth. Trust is the foundation of any community.

We expect each of you to embrace the diversity that makes up this community and to appreciate difference.

We expect each of you to reach out in compassion when someone is in need. Not just a friend – that’s easy. I mean reaching out to those you don't know.

So, we expect a lot from you, but we also know nobody is perfect. We're not always going to act on these values. We often make bad decisions when we are tired, rushed, or under stress. The question is: “When we fall, will these values call us back? Are they part of who we are?"

The bottom line is I want you to be better than I was when I was in 8th grade…a lot better. And I want our community to be better. It starts with each of us – you and me.