Happy Holidays!  This month of December has been full of energy.  In fact, last week I asked the president of the student council, James Finucane for a characterization of how things are going, and he picked the word “energy” to describe the mood and feel of the student body right now.  We return from Thanksgiving break for a short interim before we head out for winter break.  A lot has been packed into a few short days, much of which I am sure you will read about on the web or in this newsletter.  Two powerful thinkers and philosophers spoke to the school,  the Jewish club sponsored a Hannukah dinner for anyone who wanted to attend (I thought the food was delicious in spite of what you may be hearing about dining hall food), all of the athletic teams are in full action, the chorale sang with the James Buchanan High School choir in a joint Holiday Concert for the local community in the Simon Theatre, the Christmas Candlelight service was beautiful and meaningful, and, of course, every class has probably expected at least one major project or hour test before we depart.  

One change the students found upon their return from break was the institution of our electronic key system.  We are working out a few bugs, but we are now able to lock all of the dorms 24 hours a day while still allowing the students full access to the dorms when they need it.  Other buildings will come on line soon.  The type of key they use to get in is called a fob.

It is interesting to me, and I am sure you can relate to this as parents, to see the reaction of the students to change.  Some students immediately suspected that we were trying to monitor or restrict all of their movements while others simply decorated their fobs and accepted the change as something to protect them.  Their attitudes towards the world around them affects their daily work and ability to function.  I hope we can always work to build a trust of others and relationships while also not suppressing students’ good, questioning instincts.

At a recent  Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) conference in Boston  I heard Bob Brooks deliver the keynote address on The Power of Mindset;  nurturing motivation and resilience in students. I recommend his books and web site to you.  Mindset is made up of the assumptions and expectations we have for ourselves and others;  this mindset guides our behavior.  Resilient students think about what they can do to cause change rather than feel helpless at the hands of others.  As adults in the school, we need to continue to find good and even better ways to hear students’ voices and empower them to make good decisions.

I came back to school from that Boston trip and read an incredible article in The Mercersburg News by Justin Corey (see Ask J-Cor in the 12/7/07 issue).  Voila!  It was all about the power of mindset, and how he had discovered a key to his own success and view of the world.  Justin mentioned that a friend, a few months ago told him to “think positive thoughts and positive things will happen.”  I hope that we will all work together to encourage students to see their own power and ability to make a difference.  Resiliency will be a key trait for them to possess as they move into a quickly changing world.  We will work with you to send them all out from Mercersburg with this quality.

Enjoy the coming holidays with your sons and daughters, and when the “crazy busy” time of this season may seem overwhelming, remember the power of mindset.