Jerry Ward's Letters to Parents
Fall Letter, October 2016
Dear Fenn Parents:
I last wrote to you with my Headmaster’s start-of-school letter in late August, which seems in my mind to have been just last week. But, in fact, a full month of the 2016-2017 academic year has already sped by. Fenn has been infused with the energy and enthusiasm of boys reconnecting with their classmates and, in the case of new boys, discovering new friendships, and in all cases boys’ getting to know their teachers and advisors who will teach and guide them throughout the year.
During this past month, Fenn school life has seen myriad activities, including: New Boys Orientation; our opening, and subsequent, daily All School Meetings; Upper School off-campus class trips; Back-to-School Nights; the New Parent Welcome Dinner; student auditions for the Middle School play; formation of the Upper School interscholastic athletic teams; Homecoming; the fourth grade tide pool trip; the first of the year Parents Association meeting; and, as of today, the close of student senate campaigns with their final candidate speeches followed by the election of two new senators from each grade. Still ahead are the Class Connection Days for our Middle School with the sixth grade engaging in collaborative, creative exercises and games on campus next Tuesday, October 11; and the seventh grade trip scheduled for Thursday, October 20, when students will hike Mount Wachusett and reflect on their respective personal goals for the year within their advisor groups.
In sum, it’s fair to say that life at Fenn is humming. A walk across campus and through our buildings reveals the full range and depth of all that Fenn boys do in their rich and full education. The rhythm, routines, and pace of the school year are now well established, and we are looking to continue this most successful opening chapter with more in the coming fall months and throughout the year.
I appreciate and thank you as parents for your involvement and participation in so many of these events and I admire and applaud your sons’ efforts in giving Fenn their all. As always, behind any successful start, to what promises to be a great school year, is the dedicated and caring work of Fenn’s faculty and staff, to whom I am grateful.
As I have done in past years immediately before Columbus Day weekend, I would like to offer you some updates and previews of Fenn School life this fall.
- Fenn’s Annual Respecting Differences Day and Program on Thursday, October 13, 2016
- Introduction of a New Member of Fenn’s Faculty and Staff
- Repairs to Monument Street Water Main During October and November
- Michael Thompson Lecture on Parenting: Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
- Admissions Open House, Sunday, November 13 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
- In Closing
Fenn’s Annual Respecting Differences Day and Program on Thursday, October 13, 2016
Fenn’s sixteenth annual Respecting Differences Day, as noted on our Fenn School Calendar, takes place next week on Thursday, October 13. The term “Day” is a bit of a misnomer in that this educational program is an hour in length, followed by a discussion in extended advisor group time on a subsequent day. This longstanding, mission-based school-wide effort reflects the four core Fenn values of honesty, respect, empathy, and courage and the Fenn School mission statement that asserts our school’s aspiration to be “a personal community that honors diversity.”
The Respecting Differences program will take a distinct and separate focus by grade or division and will be offered during assembly time from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. The specifics of each related hour-long assembly vary to some degree within a consistent framework within each division. The Lower School programs focus on understanding and respecting diversity in families, while the Middle and Upper School programs focus on understanding and respecting differences in sexual identity and orientation. In offering the related films, discussions, and talks, our educational goal is to nurture a safe, affirming, and caring community for all at Fenn and to educate boys to be respectful of these defining differences in the world of and beyond Fenn.
Below is a description of each grade’s program on Respecting Differences Day. Fenn’s regular and full schedule of academic and arts classes with sports will occur on Thursday as we follow a standard assembly schedule for the day.
Fourth Grade
The boys in the fourth grade watch That’s a Family!, an award-winning documentary about a variety of family constellations and relationships. In this film, children from differing families reflect on growing up with parents of different races or religions, divorced parents, a single parent, gay or lesbian parents, adoptive parents, and grandparents as guardians. Boys will subsequently follow their viewing of the film with discussions led by their advisors in their respective class rooms.
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade boys will be treated to a presentation by their advisors. Ms. Kristin FitzGerald will talk about growing up with divorced and same-sex parents; Ms. Liz Wei will talk about being part of a bi-racial family; Mr. Brendan Bates will talk about discovering passions outside of his family’s collective identity; and Mr. Jon Byrd will speak about not having children and raising his stepchildren. Following the slide show that accompanies these talks, students will form groups across advisors and create posters with the theme of “Family Can Be…” that will be displayed in the Lower School building. Later in the year, fifth graders will create with their own identity portraits for classroom galleries.
Middle School
Middle School students in grades six and seven will engage with speakers from SpeakOUT, a non-profit organization which seeks “to create a world free of homo-bi-trans-phobia and other forms of prejudice by telling the truths of people’s lives." For many years we have had the opportunity to hear insightful and inherently human stories from gay or lesbian members of this organization, some of whom are teachers in their professional lives, and who have been well received by our students and faculty.
Upper School
This year a presenter from SpeakOUT will address eighth and ninth grade students about their personal experience of being an individual in gender transition. This presentation will note the context of emerging societal awareness and respect of transgender individuals, the evolution of their legal rights, and the inclusive and supportive response of school communities.
As noted, each of these age-appropriate presentations in each grade will engage students in reflection and discussion that are in keeping with Fenn’s values as a school community. Above all, we wish to engage students to understand and respect both the realities of individual and group differences and the shared humanity of all of us.
Please feel free to be in touch with me or our Director of Diversity Tete Cobblah should you have any questions about this program.
Introduction of a New Member of Fenn’s Faculty and Staff
Ms. Osa Osagie has recently joined Fenn’s faculty as our Diversity Intern. Coming to Fenn from her home in Atlanta, Osa holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgia State University where she served and taught as a graduate assistant in the political science department. Osa has also taught in educational enrichment programs for middle school students in Georgia. As Fenn’s Diversity Intern, Osa will assist in teaching classes at Fenn and help in administering components of the Fenn Diversity program, including working closely with our student diversity committees in Middle and Upper School.
Repairs to Monument Street Water Main During October and November
In an earlier message to Fenn parents, Assistant Headmaster David Platt informed you that the Town of Concord would be doing repairs to the water main pipes on Monument Street directly in front of Fenn. This work is beginning as of today and will extend over six weeks time into November. The repair work will no doubt slow traffic during drop-off and pick-up hours at Fenn but one lane passage, under the supervision of the Concord Police Department, will remain open throughout. Interruption to Fenn’s water service will occur only during hours that our school will not be in session.
Michael Thompson Lecture on Parenting: Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
The renowned psychologist, author, and speaker, Dr. Michael Thompson will join us in Ward Hall on Thursday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m. We invite all Fenn parents as well as parents beyond our school community to join us for what promises to be an insightful, well-researched, wise, and humorous lecture by Michael Thompson on the topic of effective parenting. Gifted in his ability to present and connect with his audience and knowledgeable and expert about the growth and maturation of boys and girls, Michael will no doubt offer valuable reflection and practical advice to parents and engage all in attendance in helpful and practical ways. I highly recommend the program to Fenn parents and encourage you to feel free to bring guests. We look keenly forward to the evening.
Admissions Open House, Sunday, November 13 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Fall is a time when parents who are considering independent school as a possible choice for their sons or daughters begin to investigate schools in more depth. Fenn’s Admissions Open House for prospective parents offers student-guided tours of the campus, the opportunity to engage faculty members from our academic departments, the arts, and athletics as well as the division heads, to hear a student panel who will offer remarks and takes questions, and to hear my comments as headmaster about Fenn’s educational program and philosophy. In short, the Open House is a great opportunity to get a sound sense of Fenn and requires no commitment to pursue the admissions process unless a family is then so inclined.
Fenn, along with all thriving independent schools, has as its greatest admissions asset the word of mouth and endorsement of prospective families by our current families who know Fenn so well. If you are aware of any families whom you believe would appreciate and might be interested in Fenn, please inform them of the Open House and encourage their attendance. Prospective families do not have to register ahead of time to attend the Open House, but they can call the Fenn Admissions Office or general front office number to receive more information.
As always, I will write to you again in the coming months as the year progresses and continue to appreciate your interest in the information provided and my commentary on school life. As Fenn parents, you should feel free to be in touch with me or any of us at Fenn if we can be of help as your sons and you engage in Fenn life throughout the school year.
As I often state given, our fundamental purpose here at Fenn as educators is to remain dedicated to supporting and promoting the success and growth of your sons in all of the ways. Every Fenn boy--with his unlimited promise--can mature and grow into a confident, responsible, and talented young man during his years at Fenn. In the classroom, on the fields, on stage, in our arts studios, and in the world beyond Fenn in service to others, every Fenn boy, with encouragement and care provided by all of us as Fenn educators, can firmly step forward into his future. Please know that we will continue to invest ourselves as a faculty and staff to ensure that this current school year will be among the best of your sons’ education.
As always, we will continue to do our very best to honor your faith as parents in our school and our shared belief in realizing the promise and future of your sons.
With best regards,
Jerry Ward
Headmaster
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