Messages from Our Head of School

Spending time doing what we love makes us feel relaxed, connected, and whole. However, this type of pure joy is too often relegated to the breaks in “real life” – the holidays, the vacations, the summer recess. What if instead, we looked for ways to bring more of this joy into our everyday lives? 

That’s what we often think about during admissions season here at The Quaker School at Horsham.

Happy Spring! At last! On this last day before our Spring Break, I write to share an update about how our TQS community will operate for the balance of the school year in terms of COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

You may call me overly optimistic for referring to March as “early spring,” but tell that to the bright red buds forming on the tree outside my window. Even coated in layers of ice from last week’s storm, they grow vibrant and strong — the same way our community is growing, changing, and awakening into a new season. 

This year’s theme, Reunited & Reimagined, has never been more true than during this time. As we move into a phase of promise and renewal, we have many new things blossoming at TQS …

As parents, we know that part of our job is to have big conversations with our kids about life’s important topics. Yet when these topics are complex, charged, or nuanced, it can be difficult to know where to start.

That’s why, when it comes to having life’s big conversations with my own children or our TQS students, I find peace in our school’s Quaker roots. 

Even in the depths of January, when the sky looks like wet newspaper and the air is so cold it punches you in the gut, I find it amazing that most people still look up with optimism.  That’s what I love about our TQS community.

These past few weeks have been ones of reflection for my family and I, so when I happened to hear the familiar chords of “Auld Lang Syne” on the radio, it made me pause.  What struck me about the lyrics to this song, however, was that they’re not only about reflecting on the past, but of using those past memories to spark happiness today and into the future.  

Shakespeare was on to something when he so astutely pointed out that a rose is a rose no matter what we call it. But can we go so far as to say that the names we use don’t matter at all? I think they do. And perhaps one of the most important things names do is provide us with a way to connect.

What do you do to make yourself feel better if you’re stressed, or you have a mental block, or you’re struggling to find a solution to a challenge? 

Oftentimes, simply becoming active or taking part in an activity we enjoy is enough to help us through a current challenge. 

And there’s actually a science behind that — a science that can be channeled into a therapeutic practice called Recreational Therapy.