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October 25, 2023
Dear Staten Island Academy Community,
As an educator at Staten Island Academy for 29 years, I have always grappled with how to publicly respond to tragic domestic and world events. As Head of School, I understand that there can be an expectation to issue a statement on behalf of the school in the days following such tragedies -- in this case, the recent attacks by Hamas on Israelis and the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Israel’s military retaliation.
I fear that silence can be perceived as a statement itself, especially in the face of the tragic events that have unfolded this month. I want you to know that the decision to put out this formal statement was made with a great deal of thought and consultation.
During difficult times like these, I believe my role is to ensure we have safe educational opportunities and personal support mechanisms in place for all of our community members. The educational opportunities and support allow us time to reflect, study, and decide what we think and believe, individually and collectively. I stand behind what we do best at Staten Island Academy: we create safe spaces for us to speak, listen and learn. As a school community we have engaged in conversation in the classroom, deployed our counselors, and created reflective spaces in less structured areas as well.
I understand that when I speak as Head of School, I speak on behalf of thousands of people who make up our Staten Island Academy community, including students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni. Speaking about topics related to our curriculum and our campus life is essential in my role as the school’s leader. However, I do not feel, as Head of School, that I can effectively speak on behalf of our entire community on world or domestic events that impact people personally in a number of ways. Especially when so many people in our community are hurting and are feeling scared and confused.
What I can state is that we at Staten Island Academy denounce hate. We find strength in coming together as a community and seeking comfort in each other. I implore all of us to continue to work with the younger generations to commit ourselves to reducing violence, suffering and injustice in this world.
As always, developmentally appropriate resources will continually be shared with parents and students as needed throughout the year. I invite anyone who wants to engage in thoughtful reflection and conversation to reach out to me at any time.
Sincerely,
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