Embracing Change

Dear Parents: 

Heracitus, a Greek philosopher from the 6th century B.C. wrote that there is nothing permanent except change -- a fitting sentiment as the year changes from one to the next. 

In his teachings, Heraclitus said that if we embrace the inevitability of change, we can live happier, more productive lives. The process, he emphasized, is far more important than the outcome ... since the outcome would inevitably be swept away by life’s rapid changes. 

I am fascinated by how, now 2,600 years later, education is realizing that the process of learning is more important than what is learned, and that the journey is far more important than the destination. 

Here at The Quaker School at Horsham, we not only recognize this truth in our classrooms, but also in our leadership and our strategy. We believe that embracing change and enjoying the process of making constant adjustments to systems and strategies is why we are so happy with the work we do. 

That’s why I’ve been so excited -- and all-consumed -- by two enormous projects that are bringing change to The Quaker School this year. 

The first: a total website redesign. This project (which began last April and just recently launched) took hundreds of collective hours of work by Lori Boccuzzi, Christina Pearson, our partners Finalsite and Emily Cretella, and me. It was a massive undertaking. 

So why take on a mammoth redesign project? Why review, edit, rewrite and redesigning every website page? Why take and edit hundreds of new photos, and learn how to use an updated system? Why not just stick with the same site we’ve had for years? 

To tell The Quaker School story in the way it deserves to be told.  

All of the beautiful new photos show students blossoming socially, behaviorally, and academically. The new copy better describes our programs and highlights new additions -- like the research and design laboratory. The new system allows us to easily integrate video. (By the way, students are creating a campus tour using drones. It’s a year-long project and will not be ready until June, but once it’s done, we have a shiny new home for it online.) 

In addition, many of you read the Shine Together blog, which for years was hosted on a separate site, along with our ebooks. Now, I am thrilled to say, the blog and website have been seamlessly integrated, and while I still have a few more stories to migrate, all the content you have come to expect from TQS is now available in one place. 

Please explore the new site and let me know what you think. I think it is the single best school website on the internet  -- although the fact that I designed the site and built the interior pages may have biased me.   

The other herculean feat, which began in May and will conclude in June: The Quaker School at Horsham’s strategic planning process. 

This past spring the board of trustees hired Andy Mozenter from the Concentrics company to shepherd our community through a strategic vision conference. Two groups are working with Andy: the Core Working Group and the Steering Committee. 

The Core Working Group is a small group made up of the leadership team, faculty members, and trustees. Members include Greg Mattle, John Kruidenier, Mia Glenn, Lori Boccuzzi, Victoria Kirby, Lisa Nolan, and me. This team is responsible for governing the whole process. 

The Steering Committee is a larger group representing every segment of our community. This group of current parents/guardians, faculty and staff, alumni, and trustees is working diligently on survey design, data analysis, and engagement of their constituent groups. 

To date, both groups have conducted over one dozen interviews, held five community forums, sent out hundreds of surveys and poured over a mountain of data. 

So, why do it? Why ask 30 volunteers to give hundreds of hours? 

Ask Heracitus.

Could someone in 2013 have predicted the world we live in today? No, they could not. However, they could have created dynamic systems to sense and respond to the evolving needs of their constituents. And, this is what we are trying to do. Not to tell the future, but to create systems and designs within The Quaker School to help us navigate the next five years of change.

We are listening deeply to all of our stakeholders and constructing a lasting vision of our future together. Our goal is to work together to preserve the core of everything that makes TQS so special and allows it to change children’s lives while being able to thrive in the years ahead. 

I look forward to sharing the completed plan with you in June, and to riding this exciting wave of change through 2019. 

Shine on,

Alex