The fall is such a vibrant time in schools. Students, parents, and colleagues return to school energetic and enthusiastic. We are excited to see one another and look forward to one event after another. Personally, I love seeing everyone and I particularly enjoy our first all-school assembly of the year, where our seniors (our Mighty Oaks) welcome Pre-Kers and Kindergarteners (Little Acorns). I found myself particularly nostalgic at this year’s ceremony as I watched our seniors, who were kindergarteners in my first year, complete their Shipley cycle. As those mighty oaks handed their gifts to the little acorns, memories of them flooded through my mind. It was heartwarming and reinforcing. Needless to say, as I have aged, they have matured and grown. In the end, the ceremony symbolized the season which represents a time of growth and dreaming

The fall also coincides with my favorite time in professional athletics, when I enjoy following the completion of the baseball season and the start of football season. An avid fan, I am watching both leagues very closely this year. In baseball, although I am disappointed that the Phillies did not have a better year, I hope that the Red Sox and Cubs will both make the play-offs and eventually play in the World Series. In similar fashion, with the Eagles and Patriots both off to great starts, I am rooting for both teams to win their respective conferences and play in the Super Bowl. Perhaps some day both of these dreams will come true.

With all of the activities taking place, it is essential to find some balance in our lives. For our family, an early fall trip to the beach helped. It had been so long since I walked on the beach in the quiet of the fall that I had forgotten just how wonderful it is, and I was taken aback by the warmth and serenity of the moment as I shared it with my daughter. The few other people who were on the beach were also enjoying their solitude. Yet amid the calm were the remnants of recent storms, which led me to think of the damage caused to people and property throughout the southeastern part of the United States and the Caribbean. Our thoughts are with all of them as they try to get their lives back in order.

The walk on the beach reminded me of the summer and some of the special times I had with my family. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the summer was a trip to the greater Washington, D.C. area, where we enjoyed watching our oldest son play soccer and visited a number of museums, monuments, and memorials. Of the three museums, the Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, and The International Spy Museum, the latter was the only one with a fee for admission, but it was well worth it. Having been to the other two museums before, I found the Spy Museum particularly interesting. It has something for everyone, no matter what age. In addition, as we walked the Mall and noticed the different war memorials, all of us took a special liking to the recently completed World War II Memorial. While it took far too long for those involved in the war to be remembered, the monument is done with grace and simplicity. Of course, it is not without its critics. If you would like to read a good piece on it, see the Washington Post of August 8, which carries an article, “A War’s Final Theater” by past Shipley parent Frank Thomas.

Numerous people have mentioned to me the recent write-up on Shipley in The Philadelphia Magazine. While we are pleased to be considered among the top twenty schools in the greater Philadelphia area (and were equally pleased to be named the outstanding co-ed school in the area by The Suburban & Wayne Times), we understand that the write-ups and ratings have their limitations. Philadelphia Magazine inadvertently made reference to us as a boarding school. We, of course, have not had a boarding department since the 1980s.  Moreover, we’re believers that each school is doing its best for its students and that comparing them is not necessarily productive. While we like to be acknowledged for our efforts, our commitment to our students is first and foremost in our minds.

As I have said many times, we strive to be a community that challenges and supports our students. We want to help them achieve educational excellence in and out of the classroom, to love learning and engage in compassionate participation in the world. Certainly this is the theme of our new Strategic Plan. (You will be getting a copy very soon in the mail and it is also posted on our website in the News section.) Among other goals stressed in the plan are our commitments to increase our faculty salaries; to become a more diverse community; and to better meet the needs of our students. In the weeks to come many committees will meet to develop the implementation plans for these objectives within the context of our consistent goal: what is best for the students.

During the last couple of weeks, it has been very enjoyable and rewarding to see so many parents at the Back to School nights, since we know that children do their best work when parents and school have a healthy partnership. It’s my hope that the Back to School nights and the early conferences of the year will enhance those partnerships or will serve as the groundwork for them. We also know that children thrive and feel better about their experience when parents are actively involved in the School. Please accept this as an invitation to get involved. Remembering that we are committed to the development of the whole child, let me recommend a book to you that goes beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic:  Lesson One, The ABCs of Life: The Skills We All Need But Were Never Taught by John Oliver and Michael Ryan.  

Our first Heads’ Forum is fast approaching. It will take place on Friday, Oct. 15 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Beechwood House. Please join our Division Heads, Maggie Granados, Harry Worrall, and Tom Nammack, and me for an informal session to discuss pertinent topics and offer you a chance to ask questions and/or discuss anything that’s on your mind. If you have a particular issue you would like us to address, please email me at spiltch@shipleyschool.org. Otherwise, the agenda will be open.

On Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. in Riely Theater, we will be hosting Harry Sheehy, who is the Athletic Director of Williams College and the author of Raising a Team Player. He will be speaking to our parents about the roles athletics and other extracurricular activities play in the development of our children and in the college process. Bright, confident, and funny, he delivers a very important message. If you have the time, please try to make it.

My thoughts and wishes are with you. I hope to see you at the Preview Party for The Shipley Shops on October 20.

Warmest regards,

Steven S. Piltch
Head of School