MAESA MATTERS... May 2018

MID-ATLANTIC EPISCOPAL SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

MAESA Matters May 2018

Greetings!

Welcome to MAESA Matters! It's astounding that the academic year is nearing its close. Now, we look back on the growth and accomplishments that have taken place in our school communities with pride. It has been rewarding at MAESA to share in those relationships with your students and your faculty throughout this year! It is also fitting that this month we hear from The Rev. David DeSalvo St. Andrew's, Middletown DE , in "Why I teach in an Episcopal school," as he reflects on a life and career in Episcopal schools upon his own retirement. Next, learn about exciting building plans that are in store for St. Martin's in-the-Field Episcopal School , Severna Park, MD in Spread the Word. We'd love to feature one of your faculty members or a school activity in MAESA Matters. Contact us to be included.

MAESA is pleased to announce the addition an Episcopal Schools Day Service in Richmond, Va. on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 for our central Virginia schools. We are very grateful to All Saints Episcopal Church for hosting our service! Please contact us to make plans to attend.

The 2018 MAESA Scholars Fair hosted with National Cathedral School for Girls was Friday, April 27th. More than 170 students in grades 4-8 competed and exhibited their work. Students from the following member schools shared their gifts and talents: Christ Episcopal School, Grace Episcopal Day School, St. Albans School, National Cathedral School, St. Andrew's Episcopal School, St. John's Episcopal School, St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School, and Washington Episcopal School.

Science Fair Exhibitor

Opening & Welcome

Art Exhibition

2018-2019 MAESA Event Dates

Mark Your School Calendar

September 21, 2018 MAESA Member's Meeting at St. Andrew's Episcopal School. Our keynote speaker will be Rodney Glasgow, Head of Middle School and Chief Diversity Officer at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, Potomac, MD. Join us to hear about creating meaningful diversity and inclusion programs in your school.

Episcopal Schools Day Service October 10, 2018 hosted by Beauvoir The National Cathedral Elementary School held at Washington National Cathedral

Richmond Episcopal Schools Day Service October 17, 2018 at All Saints Episcopal Church in Richmond and hosted in partnership with St. Catherine's School.

MAESA Early Childhood Conference October 26, 2018 at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School lower school campus in Alexandria, VA. MAESA's 2018 conference features teacher-to-teacher workshops for our early childhood educators. MAESA schools have a wealth of talent among the faculty. Please consider asking your faculty members to propose a workshop for the conference.

MAESA Choral Evensong February 10, 2019 at Washington National Cathedral

MAESA Scholars Fair April 26, 2019 at National Cathedral School for Girls

"Why I Teach in an Episcopal School"

The Rev. David DeSalvo

St. Andrew's School, Middletown , DE

Upon his retirement, The Reverend David DeSalvo, of St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware, reflects upon his many years in Episcopal schools:

Looking back, I don’t know that I “chose” this way of life as much as I felt “called” to it. I guess this is as good a place as any to begin.

As a young person struggling to find a purpose for my life, I was embraced by good people in my hometown Episcopal church, older and wiser folks who lived out their own sense of purpose to love and serve young people. When I went off to an Episcopal university, the chaplain there suggested that I could finance college room and board by living at the Episcopal boarding school affiliated with my university. Since that fall of 1978, I have never lived anywhere but at an Episcopal boarding school, a total of 40 years.

As I write this reflection, I am proud to be a teacher in an Episcopal school. One of the greatest strengths of our schools is their history of being schools of the not-already-made-up mind. Times change, paradigms change, perspectives change. For any school to resolve that its mind is made up on any issue or curriculum is to deny its mission to be open and welcoming as it strives to teach justice, to have respect for the liberal arts, and to lead young people in making the world a better place through love and service to others.

The three Episcopal schools where I have been privileged to serve are not perfect, but they are resolved to always remaining open and welcoming, celebrating and rejoicing in the gifts of all. I continue to teach in an Episcopal school because the school evaluates and reevaluates its importance as a voice for faith and reason in an ever changing culture, and it does so while striving to be really honest about its core values as articulated in the mission of the school.

The mission of our school, as articulated in 1929 by its founder, A. Felix duPont, is "to provide secondary education of a definitely Christian character at a minimum cost consistent with modern equipment and highest standards." Our reflection on that mission into the 21st century leads us to "continue to cultivate in our students a deep and lasting desire for learning, a willingness to ask questions and pursue skeptical, independent inquiry and an appreciation of the liberal arts as a source of wisdom, perspective and hope. We encourage our students to do the work of scholars, artists and scientists and to develop those expressive and analytical skills necessary for effective communication, judicious consideration of multiple points of view and for meaningful lives as engaged citizens. We seek to help our students develop a passion for intellectual pursuits such that each student feels inspired to develop and pursue his/her individual talents."

If a school is centered on its mission and philosophy and has its core values intact, then it is in a good position to handle obstacles and challenges in positive and optimistic ways. This includes encouraging and welcoming feedback from students, teachers, staff, and parents; such feedback is viewed as an opportunity to reevaluate and address situations in which the school’s decisions and actions might contradict its core values.

I have continued to live and teach in an Episcopal school for 39 years because these schools are inclusive. We are grounded in and upheld by our Episcopal identity, welcoming persons regardless of religious backgrounds. Episcopal schools help students explore their spirituality and faith while nurturing their understanding and appreciation of all world religions.

We are also committed to service, urging students to be actively involved in community service, with the understanding that all members of the community share responsibility for improving the world in which we live. Episcopal schools seek to inspire in their students a commitment to justice, peace and respect for every human being. Students are taught to take seriously the Book of Common Prayer, especially when praying about stewardship of “this fragile earth, our island home.” Our schools honor this commitment by what we teach and by how we live in community and harmony with the natural world.

The four heads of school I have served have all been committed to professional development of teachers. Whenever I have consulted with a school leader about my strengths and how I envisioned my professional development going forward, they have been helpful in pressing me to look inward and to listen to that still small voice that comes in times of quietness and prayer. In my case, I found that counseling, coaching, advising, and chaplaincy were uniquely fitted to my calling as a teacher. I joined the counseling staff at my school and then the chaplaincy staff, serving as a lay chaplain for several years until I took a sabbatical to attend seminary and become an ordained Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Delaware.

There are so many good reasons to teach in an Episcopal school. In my case, I found my calling to be a teacher and priest in an Episcopal boarding school. My wife and life-long partner also taught alongside me for six years when we were first married, taught in an independent school for a number of years, and then returned to a nearby Pre-K through 8 Episcopal day school for her final 14 years as a professional teacher. We raised two sons who both attended Episcopal schools, and our youngest graduated from an Episcopal university. Needless to say, we are deeply grateful for the lessons and values of the Episcopal Church and its excellent schools.

"Spread The Word"...news from our schools

No Better Time to Take a Leap of Faith Than Now!

Jamey Hein, Head of School

Like so many of MAESA’s independent Episcopal parish schools, St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School began its roots as a church preschool nestled below its namesake’s sanctuary. Apparently, the 1950s were a high-time for such organizations to sprout into education as part of their overall missions. And so began St. Martin’s life as a school that has now successfully nurtured the hearts and minds of generations of local residents, who speak lovingly about their memories on the quaint campus on the banks of the Severn River in suburban Severna Park.

And like the journey of other parish schools, with its strong foothold in the community, St. Martin’s expanded and added grades. Conversations naturally ensued between the school and church, with the first one occurring some 20 years ago, about building a permanent structure. Even with a campus that is half deemed “critical area” due to the Chesapeake Bay, passionate people kept voicing the need for a facility that mirrored the quality of care and instruction emblematic of St. Martin’s. A middle school began in the early 2000’s and temporary classrooms were leased to generate a program ending in 8 ^th grade.

Despite its modest and uncannily quaint facilities which lack visibility from the main road bordering the campus, St. Martin’s has been able to successfully prepare students, stay relevant in a competitive market, and retain families who are loyal to its mission, its teachers, and its genuine warmth. We’re a modest school without lots of bells and whistles but boy do we foster confident and compassionate children full of character!

In 2016 when strategic work was accomplished between the Board and Vestry to approve a building project that would match the needs of the school and its budget. It was indeed a “now or never” decision. Shortly thereafter, little school set forth on a campaign and contractors and architects were hired! St. Martin’s new 7000SF Learning Center will primarily house our 5 ^th -8 ^th grade program, a new school lobby and secure entrance, and new administrative offices. When all is said and done, the “hidden gem” that is St. Martin’s will be prominently seen from the road and be positioned to attract new families! Fingers crossed, we hit the finish line by the end of 2018!

It has been a journey to say the least full of fits and starts, lots of big-hearted people believing in our mission, and most importantly lots of deserving students who will soon enjoy a vibrant new learning space!

Meet The MAESA Board

Let us hear from you!

Katherine F. Murphy

MAESA Executive Director

[email protected]