A Letter from the Dean of Students

Dear Upper School Parents,

Last year at this time, I found myself reflecting on our school’s mission (the words of our founder, Mary C. Wheeler, “To learn our powers and be answerable for their use”) and the myriad ways in which our school community had adjusted on the fly in the spring of 2020 to realize all that we were capable of, even in very trying times. As I look back on last year and forward to the next, I am hopeful that we will continue to live up to that charge, but my mind is on the words of a different wise woman. This summer, when tasked with leading a reflection in a class I was taking, I chose “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver, a poem I had recently rediscovered and found bouncing around in my head for weeks.

While it’s best known for its rousing final lines, I spent a lot of time this summer contemplating other sections as I anticipate returning to campus this fall. After Oliver considers a grasshopper that has “flung herself out of the grass,” she reflects on her own actions, writing:

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.

As I think about our Upper School students, teachers, staff, and families, and all that we accomplished together last year (lots of in-person and virtual learning, adaptation to a new schedule, reimagined and reinvigorated athletics and arts, 68 morning assembly videos in place of our community gatherings, creative club and social events, in-person Commencement and Prom, countless games of knockout and flag football during our longer lunch period, and so much more), I hope more than anything that each community member has found ways this summer “to be idle and blessed,” or “to stroll through the fields”—even if only for a moment. While soon we will return to a new normal on campus and the typical hustle and bustle of a Wheeler fall, taking this time to recharge and refocus after such a challenging 18 months is vital.

Famously, Oliver goes on to write, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?,” which is a question that I know many of our students (and adults) have been pondering as well. I can’t wait to be back on campus to discuss their ideas about how to use those “wild and precious” lives, but in the meantime I hope they can find more opportunities to “fall down in the grass” before we see them again.

Below, please find some details about the start of the year, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Now for some logistics about the opening of school: all 9th- and 10th-grade students will learn who their new advisors are in personal notes written by advisors and sent home during the week of August 9. All students will meet with their advisors during Orientation on Tuesday, August 31 in preparation for the start of classes on Wednesday, September 1. Below are some important dates to mark on your calendars:

August 23
Preseason practices begin for all sports

August 31
Upper School Orientation Day (details and specific timing to follow)

September 1
Classes begin

September 18
Jamboree (new students are assigned to purple/gold teams, class competitions)

September 25
Upper School Retreats (details and specific plans to follow)

An important component of our opening week of school is the review of the Student Parent Handbook. Online copies will be available for you on the Upper School webpage as of the opening of school. We would greatly appreciate it if you review the handbook with your child after the first week of school. Simple questions to your child about the school’s standards of conduct, major rules, community expectations, and co-curricular opportunities will help prompt important discussions. I also urge you to review the policies for lateness and absences, and to return to the handbook as a resource for answering questions throughout the year.

I look forward to working with all of you and your children over the coming year. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer!

Sincerely,

Matthew Boyd
Dean of Students