Letter from Chair of Visiting Accreditation Committee

Last month a team of eleven outside educators from some of the top schools in New England (including three from ISL schools) spent three days on the Rivers’ campus - sitting in on classes, talking to students, teachers, administrators, trustees, alumni, and parents, examining programs, reading critical documents - all for the purpose of validating the self-study Rivers had completed the year before.  The committee left as “huge fans” of the school.  Below is the letter Molly King, the chair of the committee, wrote to the Rivers community, followed by the list of visiting committee members:

November 6, 2013      

Dear Rivers Community,

The past few days have been a remarkable example of who you are as a community. From the moment the Visiting Committee stepped on campus last Sunday, we were warmly welcomed by all---students, faculty, staff, trustees, administrators and parents. 

- Students: Your spirit is infectious. From tours, class discussions, practices and games, announcements, speeches and musical performances, all of us left Rivers not only in awe of your talents, but also of your connection to your school, to your teachers and to each other. You seek to make a positive difference and you do. Keep up the great work. 

- Faculty: We are mightily impressed. Your expertise in your subject areas is matched only by your total commitment to the wellbeing of your students. They notice. Every Visiting Committee member heard stories from students about what a difference you are making to their lives. Excellence with Humanity. Your motto. There it is. 

- Administration and Staff: Talk about a can-do attitude! You collaborate at every turn, whether it's making an event happen (like hosting us), covering for each other in a time of need without regard for self, supporting families in need or finding innovative solutions to challenges big and small, you are all in for Rivers. 

- Trustees, alumni and parents: From dinner together on Sunday night to meetings in Willis House, your thoughtful reflections upon and affection for Rivers were the signature aspects of our conversations. All of you go above and beyond to share your talents and your generosity with Rivers and particularly looking at the exponential increase in your engagement over the last fifteen years, there is much for which you should be proud.

And to Tom Olverson, who is probably tempted to delete any words of praise from us, please know how much the entire Visiting Committee respects your leadership and profound affection for Rivers---both of which have had a transformative effect on this wonderful school during your tenure. 

On behalf of all of us who have had the privilege of serving on the Rivers Visiting Committee, thank you to all and know that you have eleven huge fans sprinkled across the landscape of New England schools.

Warmly,

Molly King
Chair, NEASC Visiting Committee
Head of School, Greenwich Academy

NEASC Visiting Committee Members

Molly King, Chair
Head of School
Greenwich Academy
Greenwich, CT

Theodorick B. Bland, Assistant Chair

Head of School
Milton Academy
Milton, MA

William Clapp

Mathematics Department Chair
Berwick Academy
South Berwick, ME

J. Bradley Faus

Instructor in Art
The Hotchkiss School
Lakeville, CT

Heather Flewelling

Director of Multiculturalism & Community Development
Milton Academy
Milton, MA

Tucker Hastings

Junior Class Dean, French Teacher
Brunswick School
Greenwich, CT

Maureen Keleher

Latin Teacher
Thayer Academy
Braintree, MA

Jennifer Kenerson

Mathematics Teacher
Taft School
Watertown, CT

Mark McLaughlin

Associate Head of School
Providence Country Day School
East Providence, RI

David Rost

Dean of Students
Concord Academy
Concord, MA
 

Thomas Sullivan

Head of Upper School
Greenwich Academy
Greenwich, CT

Success v. Meaning

I was talking last week to a 2013 Rivers graduate who is doing a gap year before she attends an Ivy League college.  She spent two months in Tanzania, working in a clinic that delivers babies.  She actually delivered four babies herself.  Her experience was transforming.  She now realizes that she can make decisions about her life, that she does not have to follow a prescribed path that leads to “success.”  She may, indeed, end up being “successful” but not at the expense of finding meaning in her life.  We talked and rejoiced at her new-found discovery.
 

As I listened to her story and the epiphany she realized, I could not help but think about the purposes that different independent schools have.  Beyond those schools that have very specific missions like addressing learning issues, it seems to me that most schools fall into one of two categories.  There are those schools that will almost exclusively teach students how to attain success- success as it is traditionally defined- great job, lots of money, financial security.  This is their sole purpose- to teach students how to compete, how to win, how to work harder and smarter than the others.  For these schools, adolescence is a training ground, a sort of boot camp to prepare students for the inevitable struggle that lies before them.

There are a lot of New England prep schools and independent schools in major cities throughout the country that fall into this category.  They are littered with parents who see their child’s success as yet another emblem of their successful lives.  I’m not convinced that these schools chose this path, but saddled with a parent and alumni body that demand the markers of success, they have clearly drunk from the “excellence or else” kool-aid and cannot turn back.

 
There are other independent schools, like Rivers, that teach a different value.  It’s true that that they want their students to strive for excellence; it’s true that they celebrate the excellence that their students achieve.  But the pursuit of excellence at these schools has a different, broader purpose- to find meaning in life.  It’s not that success and meaning are viewed as necessarily antithetical in these schools.  Rather, it’s just that the pursuit of a meaningful life has equal footing with the pursuit of a “successful” life.  At these schools excellence is not just an end; it is a means for finding a meaningful life, a life well-lived, to use Aristotle’s words.

Prospective parents ask me frequently how is Rivers different from the other independent schools in the Boston area.  In many respects it is very similar- similar programs, similar kinds of students, etc.  But its purpose is very different from that of many other schools.  At Rivers the pursuit of excellence is designed to strengthen a student’s character, not have him or her compete for the most prestigious jobs.  At Rivers the pursuit of excellence is designed to help students find meaning in life, not just the “good life.”  To help students find meaning, Rivers’ teachers and coaches know and value each student- not just the student taking four AP classes but also the one who demonstrates real leadership skills or a creative approach to solving problems.  The unique attributes of each of our students, we believe, are critical to their finding meaning in life, not just success.

Adolescence Matters

I often hear prospective parents talk about trying to help their son or daughter find “the right fit” in an independent school. The conversation goes something like this:
 
“Well, I have a daughter who knows exactly what she wants, and she just needs a school that will offer her the programs that will get her where she wants to be. She has all the academic skills and is a great student; it’s just a matter of putting her in an environment of like-minded students who are on the same track. It’s about finding the right fit.” 
 

I nod my head and say, “That’s great,” but I am thinking, “This parent does not have a clue about adolescents or life.  The statement may be a prescription for success, but it is not a prescription for a happy, meaningful life.”

 
So the traditional prep school model is to serve those parents who have children that have already figured life out and are ready to enter the Darwinian competition for success, money, and prestige? Instead of adolescence being a stage in life to explore, to fail, and especially to be loved in the process, at a time when they are most vulnerable, it is, rather, the first step in a prescripted life. It’s as if the kid is saying, “I already figured out my life; let’s begin the race. I’ll start by being with all the other kids who have figured out their lives and are ready to race.”
 

I don’t buy it. Either the kid is going to skip over a very important life process that can play a huge role in her finding meaning in life, or she will become isolated in a cocoon of arrogance, never appreciating the talents (measured and not so easily measured) of others who do not so easily fit the “mold.”

 

Adolescence matters… for every kid! It should not be subverted.

Traffic Duty in the Morning

So why do I direct traffic in the morning?  There is a serious answer to this question, and the answer reflects the school’s educational philosophy. 

First, let me say that it is important to have an adult out there each morning to make sure that the students are safe as they cross the driveway.  And I like waving to the parents who drop their children off. 

But the most important thing I am accomplishing by directing traffic is welcoming students. Sometimes, I congratulate them on a performance or a game or a speech. But most of the time I just greet them, and in doing so, I am signaling to them that at Rivers it is okay for them to be themselves.  Teenagers crave validation (we all do, actually), and once they feel that validation from the community, the building blocks are in place for them to soar. This simple gesture coming from the authority of the school tells students that they can take risks, they can pursue passions, they can go about the business of becoming the person they want to become without worrying about how others perceive them or if they will be judged.

There are schools that motivate students out of fear.  Some motivate through a rigid code of conformity.  Others pit student against student.  Rivers is different.  By signaling to students that it is okay to be themselves, the school creates the fertile ground that then allows our great teachers to work their magic - challenging them, inspiring them, encouraging them. 

So why do I do traffic duty in the morning.  It’s a critical part of the equation that is designed to help students become their best selves, not through fear, conformity, or uber competition, but rather through extending an invitation and making that invitation as enticing as possible.  I think it is the best way to educate children.

Excellence and quality of experience go hand in hand at Rivers

There are a lot of issues I have with Mark Edmundson’s article “Where Should I Go to College?” – the cynical tone, the thinly disguised objectivity, the simplistic stereotypes, the predisposition to create good guys and bad guys, purity v. impurity – the list goes on.  For Edmundson students are just abstractions to be categorized.  Whatever truth I might think his argument contains, as an educator I refuse to put my students in a box, conveniently label them, and then climb on my high horse of educational purity in the midst of “corporate” slime.”

But as is the case with most arguments that touch a nerve, there is an element of truth in Edmundson’s thesis, and to deny it is equivalent to putting my head in the sand. Education and learning have for many become simply a means to the “good” life, a way to stem the tide of inter-generational downward mobility. Resume-building trumps intellectual curiosity as students feel the pressure to attend the college that will most help them advance their careers.

But the two values – learning for learning’s sake and learning as a means – can be reconciled.  The “good” high school as Edmundson sarcastically refers to it can serve excellence and true learning.  The key component is the value the school places on student quality of experience, students using educational experiences to discover what they love, what they don’t love, what they’re good at, and who they are.  The experience becomes a mechanism for gaining self-knowledge.  I see this happen all the time at Rivers because quality of experience is one of the critical values that defines “Excellence with Humanity.” 

I am the first to agree with Edmundson that too many schools produce “achievement machines.”  But I refuse to dismiss those students who, through experience, have come to realize that they are practical learners, that they want to see how the ideas in the classroom become relevant in the real world. Again, the critical factor is schools focusing on quality of experience as well as excellence, the journey as well as the result.  Please don’t tell me that the two are irreconcilable; they are both on full display at Rivers every day – the really smart kid who loves to bake and is encouraged to start a bakery stand at the local farmer’s market, the kid whose imagination is sparked by an assembly on robots and within a year the school has a robotics club and a computer science program, the kid who finds a talent for acting and is encouraged by her drama teacher to “go for it” and apply to acting schools. Yes, “excellence” can be perverted without the emphasis on quality of experience, but excellence plays a critical role in helping young people discover who they are and what they are good at – a sometimes painful but often ultimately rewarding journey. The key is that the school has to value quality of experience and its necessary sidekick, relationships, so that students know that they are valued beyond what they achieve.

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.

Be Open to the Possibilities

This is always a bittersweet time of year at an independent school – for students, for parents, and, yes, for faculty, staff, and administration. We are in full swing with breakfasts, dinners, awards ceremonies, and finally graduation itself. It’s hard to believe that we are sending off another group of kids, some of whom have been here for seven years, more than a third of their lives. They are full of such hope and promise for the future and can’t begin to imagine all the possibilities that lie ahead of them in the next four years, and beyond.
 
What makes it easier to send them on their way is knowing they are heading into the world well equipped to face its challenges. We can say that because we continue to see the “possibilities” that have become “realities” for our own young alumni who are now graduating from college or have been out in the world for a few years.

Jillian Dempsey ’09 is returning to speak to our athletes during our varsity award evening. She has just graduated from Harvard where she was a classics major and their top female hockey player. She was chosen for the All-Ivy and All-ECAC teams, was 12^th in the nation for goals per game, and will be training this summer to try out for the U.S. Olympic team. What an inspiration to our kids who are always trying to find a balance in their busy lives.
 
Another college grad this year, Ian Brownstein ’09, just garnered a fistful of top awards at Brown – magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Outstanding Senior Award in Mechanical Engineering, membership in the Engineering, Scientific, and Humanities and Social Sciences Honors Societies. His honors thesis combined his love for archeology (which he honed during a dig in Egypt this winter) and mechanical engineering (which he’ll pursue in Caltech’s PhD program in the fall). Talk about seeing the possibilities and making them realities.

I’ve talked with dozens of other young alums at campus events during the spring and have been so impressed by their myriad pursuits and accomplishments across every field – non-profit, financial, entrepreneurial, legal, educational, medical. We even have a brain surgeon-in-training! We can’t help but be proud of the role we’ve played in shaping their lives.

My hope for our seniors is that they will keep their eyes open, embrace the “possibilities,” and believe that they, like the hundreds of Rivers alumni before them, will create a fulfilling “reality” for themselves.