• Students busily writing math problems on whiteboards in preparation for the Math Team competition.
• Students taping black tubing to the walls in the Science Lab in order to understand mechanical energy.
• Students talking world politics and strategy with their Upper School Student Model United Nations Mentors.
• Students breaking into teams to problem solve and create skits, costumes, and props for Odyssey of the Mind.
• Spirited hallway debates about Shakespearean quotes.
• Students leading lunchtime discussions about military history, sports, and aviation.
• Students engaging in impromptu band ensembles, guitar medleys, and enthusiastic renditions of broadway show tunes.
• Students beautifying the hallways and bulletin boards with original art and photographs.
• Students giving it their all everytime they are on a court, course, or playing field ... no matter the competition.
• Self-assured students standing tall and leading assemblies.
• Compassionate students giving up their lunch period to brighten an elderly person's day or help stock the local food pantry's shelves.
• A classroom divided (literally with red tape) into the Montagues and Capulets or arranged to resemble the floor of the Continental Congress.
• Laughter, friendship, and hard work.

What you may not see are the other moments between your children and our faculty that I am blessed to see on a daily basis: a reassuring hand on your child's shoulder during a test; a student and teacher sitting on the floor deep in discussion during tutorial; a counselor listening so intently to your child's every word that she starts to squint; a teacher laughing loud and deep at that joke they have heard a million times; countless words of encouragement; and a dedicated faculty that meets every week to talk specifically about why they teach and how they can positively impact the lives of your children.