On Tuesday, September 6 North Star held its Opening Ceremonies! We are back! Here is a reasonably solid transcript of my Welcoming Message.
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Welcome! Year 27! Year 8 in this building!
I especially want to welcome our new families and new staff members. We have had many changes since June. We are missing long-time core staff members, John Sprague and Susannah Sheffer. We welcome a returning staff member Joshua Wachtel, and new staff members Aaron Damon- Rush (Alumni Coordinator) and Kim Chin-Gibbons (Social Media Manager), both of whom are alums of North Star. We also welcome Olivia Nied, our Americorps Service Member.
Hello to our returning core staff members: Loran Saito, Kizzi Collier, Ellen Morbyrne, Melanie Dana, and Jodi Cutler.
(I then welcomed teens by name.)
I would like to begin my remarks by acknowledging we’ve had a hard summer. Since we last gathered in June, we have lost a treasured alumna, Jana Abromowitz. We will be doing more to honor her spirit this fall.
Covid-19 is still here. We know informally it is circulating throughout our Pioneer Valley. Reported cases, which we know are a fraction of reality, are still above the limits for our “green” category. Wastewater measurements of Covid-19 are fluctuating. We have little guidance from the government or health professionals and no cultural agreements about how to manage an organization. Those of us who have traveled outside the Valley know that for the vast majority of Americans, the pandemic is “over” and it’s everyone for themselves. That’s not how we want to do it here at North Star, and we know that other private organizations, and even countries such as Canada, share this view. For now, with the goal of making North Star safe for our most vulnerable members and family members in our community, and avoiding having North Star be a super-spreading site, we are requiring everyone who enters to be vaccinated, and we are requiring people to wear facemasks indoors. These policies will be reviewed at staff and board meetings.
On to more exciting news: We are here, another fall of Not Back to School. It’s often a hard week for new people stepping out of the mainstream. It’s a joyful week for most of us. I’m always full of optimism as I review your creative and thoughtful curriculum plans for your local superintendents, and the staff enjoys our first family meetings with each of you. So much hope!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the New York Times recent article, What is School For? It is a series of essays, some of which resonate for me, some of which do not. I certainly recommend at least skimming them. We share many of the lofty visions and wishes of these writers for what a society might offer its young people through free and accessible programs.
The essays also make me consider the range of programs that fulfill these goals without being schools: summer camps, after-school programs, extra-curricular activities, and sports. Why do so many teens love these activities and dread school?
We know what makes a school different: compulsory attendance, grades and evaluation which will be shared publicly, and diplomas that certify completion. Without these items, there is no school.
However, we also know that without those items, there is learning! Summer camps and extracurricular activities generate so much joy, so much energy, so much challenge, and so much camaraderie! I propose that more lifetime memories are generated outside of the classroom rather than inside it, despite the preponderance of minutes each day spent in class.
To all of you current North Star members: at North Star, we know you can grow up with just the best parts! You do need to find hard work worth doing. You do need to identify interests and goals and find out just how far you can pursue them. You do need to interact with others, both peers and adults, and be part of a community.
You also need a basic trust, respect, and faith in your desire to find your way that is lacking in our conventional school approach. That is what we have at North Star as our starting point: trust, respect, and faith in you. Welcome!
