Dear Friends,
I write this afternoon with great anticipation, knowing that in just four weeks we will have completed the first day of the 2023/24 school year.
When I accepted the amazing opportunity to be your Head of School nine months ago, I was afforded both space and time to finish at Sandy Spring Friends School and to manage this significant change for my family. Now, as we enter the final run towards the new school year, I’m acutely aware and extremely appreciative of the community that Brenda Esch has helped to create here. In the last five years alone, FSW encountered a hurricane, merged two campuses to one, persevered through a pandemic, and built a new Lower School. Each event on its own posed significant challenges and difficult decision making, yet FSW came through this period stronger than ever on the back of Brenda’s commitment to, love for, and leadership of this community. Last week I participated in a week-long engagement in Atlanta, with 92 new Heads of School from all over the USA and Canada. Through conversations with many new Heads, I have realized that the smooth transition I have been afforded is not always the case. I will be forever indebted to Brenda’s leadership of FSW, and I congratulate her on her retirement.
As I start the learning process of who we are here in Wilmington, I am struck by the community’s commitment to learning more about Quaker culture and education. Connected and supported by a network of 76 schools and 334 years of Quaker education in this country, as educators committed to Friends schooling, we strive every day to connect with your child on multiple levels, acknowledging that every child’s journey is different and that there is, unquestionably, that of God in each person. My own experience over my eleven years in Quaker schools has included being an administrator, educator, and parent, to both a current student and a graduate. First and foremost, I reflect on the relationships my children developed with peers and especially, with their teachers: those people who took time to know my children, connect with them, and push them to be their best selves both academically and as citizens.
I look forward to meeting and developing relationships with as many people as I can in the coming weeks. When the faculty return in the week of August 7, I will be focused on building working relationships, and when your children return on August 16, my focus will be engaging with and getting to know them. If you would like to stop by for an introduction or a chat before those dates, you are very welcome. Here is a link to my calendar. https://calendly.com/tonym-rgi/one-on-one-with-me
I will endeavor to keep the calendar up to date as much as possible. If you make an appointment, a Google Meet will be established, and I am more than happy to meet virtually, but I also welcome you to campus to meet in person. Just let me know which you prefer.
I hope the remainder of the summer is full of fun and relaxation. I always imagined myself living by the ocean, and my family and I are enjoying the evening walks at Wrightsville Beach and the vibrant restaurant scene. Personally, I am refreshed and excited for the work of the coming school year, buoyed by a committed staff and the happy voices of the summer camp.
In Peace,
