Dear Frederica Parents,
Echoing Charlie Runyan’s perspective that he shared in last Sunday’s email, I too am very excited at the return of FA students for the 2021-2022 school year. Nothing animates a sleepy August campus more than the influx of over 440 eager students. This first three-day week has allowed us all to readjust to a school routine after a summer’s respite and to begin to reconnect with old friends and assimilate new friends into our lives. Welcome all.
I thought that it might be a worthwhile and productive undertaking early on in the year in my first Sunday message to articulate simply and clearly the school’s belief regarding the role of an FA education in the lives of your children. It is nearly impossible to intentionally and consistently hit a target if that target hasn’t been identified from the outset. FA’s target is to educate your children both for the world of today and, as best as we can ascertain, the world of tomorrow. To us, that means cultivating and nourishing the growth and maturation of four critical areas of human development essential to living productive and fulfilling lives in today’s world.
First, and most importantly, our goal is to create an environment and support behaviors that engender in our students an attitude of great respect and kindness towards others. Plain and simple – learn to see the good in everyone and be an accepting and supportive friend. School is where your children spend the bulk of their waking hours, enjoy the bulk of their peer interactions, and experience the bulk of their academic and social vicissitudes and recoveries... whether they are in third grade, seventh grade, or twelfth grade. One of our core businesses then is to model, teach, and provide a safe practice venue for young people to learn about themselves, experience and appreciate a sense of joy and purpose in their spirit, and develop interpersonal skills and views that allow them to add value to their own lives and to the lives of others in their community. Being kind and respectful matters at FA.
Secondly, we believe in increasing literacy, creative and critical thinking, and an appreciation in all the major disciplines… reading and writing, math, science, history and the humanities, world languages, the arts, and athletics. That does not mean rewriting or inventing entirely new takes on any particular discipline, but it does mean exploring and understanding in age-appropriate ways the salient themes, events, and concepts of each discipline in the context of a modern, technologically-advanced world. Thinking innovatively; living a healthy, active lifestyle; being curious, passionate; and a seeker of truth all matter at FA.
Thirdly, our target here is to inspire and support our students to envision and work towards becoming some ever-evolving version of their best selves. To do that, we emphasize the development of two attributes: integrity and a strong work ethic. Our goal is to get our students at all ages to embrace the notion that high character trumps any and everything else in life and serves as the foundation upon which all else is constructed around. Our goal then is also to help our students recognize what a ”best effort” is in everything that they undertake and to help them understand that striving for that ”best effort” is often foundational to building a positive self-image and strong self-esteem. Being honest and doing your best both matter at FA.
Fourth, we believe that our school experience should recognize that we live in a very large and interconnected world that goes well beyond the shores of the Golden Isles and that understanding, appreciating, and celebrating differences that both make us all unique and the world a more vibrant, interesting place to work, play, and live is a central goal of an FA education. Getting along with others... and actually not just getting along but working collaboratively with others … is central to anyone and everyone becoming some version of their best selves. Accepting and including others matters at FA.
Our fourfold target articulated above and our commitment to hitting the bullseye in that target is fundamental to our creating and sustaining a partnership that engenders trust and confidence within our parent body that we are delivering every day what we advertise we can deliver. This morning I am pledging our institutional best effort this year and an eagerness and enthusiasm to work alongside you for the betterment of your children.
Respectfully,
Scott L. Hutchinson
Head of School
