|
Size matters. More specifically, the size of the number matters. While reading Michael Easter’s The Comfort Crisis I was introduced to Dunbar’s number theory. Dunbar posited that stable social relationships tend to max out at 150 people – what Easter calls ‘an ideal community."
Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point said this of Dunbar’s 150 – anyone seeking ‘the spread of shared ideals needs to be particularly cognizant of the perils of bigness. Crossing the 150 line is a small change that can make a big difference.’ Gladwell illustrated the principle sharing a story from GORE-TEX. They found that office buildings with more than 150 people tended to have more social problems. What did GORE-TEX do? They built offices with a 150-person limit.
In the same chapter, Easter introduces the reader to Satoshi Kanazawa’s Savanna Theory of Happiness with this basic premise – ‘the higher the population density wherever a person is, the less happy they’ll likely be.’ It seems there’s some type of law of diminishing social returns when a group size gets too large.
You might be asking what this has to do with Vail Christian High School. It’s simple. Our VCHS student enrollment sits right around 150 (158 this school year), and I believe that’s one of our superpowers. A school’s size shapes culture, community, and friendships. When we describe one of our VCHS core values – Community – we say it this way – ‘a family known for its inward and outward expression of love.’ Although not perfect, we’re able to do community well because of our school size.
I sometimes hear prospective students say that bigger (enrollment) is better. The thinking goes that more people in a social setting will somehow equate to more friends. But the evidence doesn’t support that. In fact, findings from the Pew Research Center state: 78% of teens have between one to five close friends, 20% have six or more close friends, and 2% say they do not have a close friend. I think the statistics would improve if those students were at a school with a Dunbar number enrollment.
This is all to say that the VCHS enrollment number works to our students’ advantage – close friendships that deepen over their four years and a cohesive community where students are really known. Bigger is not better. The right size is best.
Steve O'Neil
Head of School
| 
