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Letter from Steve Piltch - April 2019

April 30, 2019

Dear Shipley Families and Friends,

I must admit that although I was prepared for May and June to be remarkably busy and emotional months, I had no idea that April would be the starting point. Without anticipating it, I have found myself to be emotionally vulnerable. For example, earlier this month, right before our All School Assembly celebrating our 125th anniversary, I walked through the gym to see our 200-piece orchestra, PK-12, rehearsing the School Song with our Shipley Singers. As the chorus belted out the words, I stopped to watch and listen, and tears began to stream from my eyes. I couldn’t believe how good the kids sounded and how overcome I was with feeling.

Fortunately, I was still able to appreciate how compelling the assembly itself was. As I listened to our students (Casey Winter ’19, Anna Phelps ’23, and Claire Jackson ’29) who shared about Shipley yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and the challenges associated with sustainability (Shaira Mujahid ’24; Lila Saligman ’19; and Jackson Preisser ’26), it had reinforced for me just how fortunate I have been to be the Head of School for twenty-seven years. Their presentations were thoughtful, thought-provoking, and inspiring. Bill Lyons leading our very own version of “Shipley Family Feud” was so entertaining, and when the orchestra played “Wavin’ Flag,” I was mesmerized as memories from my years at Shipley flew through my head. I found myself yet again overwhelmed by the remarkable ability of our kids. I know I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, as I heard from many people after the assembly expressing thoughts in line with one of our Lower School parents, who is quoted below:

"I was so moved by the whole experience! I truly felt the Shipley spirit!! I sat there with tears rolling down my face as I usually do at any of the assemblies, concerts, and performances by the students. This time, though, I was so struck by the embodiment of the School's motto, Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing!"

The energy and enthusiasm from the assembly carried over into our 125th symposium that night. What a privilege it was to have the speakers share their thoughts about the challenges we as a school and the world-at-large will confront over the next generation. These changemakers reinforced for me and for those in the audience the importance of helping our students develop the ability to think in a critical fashion, to express their thoughts in the spoken and written word, and to be able to appreciate and understand others’ views, too. (The speakers all have a tie to Shipley and/or the immediate area. They included Karlene Burrell-McRae, who is Dean of the College at Colby College and a past Shipley parent and Board of Trustees member; Donna Orem, who is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University and is the President of NAIS; Mary Osirim, who is the Provost at Bryn Mawr College; Jason Wingard, who is Dean of Professional Studies at Columbia and the spouse of past faculty member Gingi Wingard; Raffi Gregorian ’81 who works in counter-terrorism at the State Department; and Paolo Malabuyo ’91, who is the Director of User Experience at YouTube Ads.)

My greatest takeaway from the evening was that the commitment to respect, appreciate, and understand people as individuals will be fundamental to our ability to function as a school – and to deal with the challenges of an increasingly diverse and polarized nation. If we listen to each other, understand each other’s views, and approach issues with goodwill, there is a chance that we can reach out to one another in positive and productive ways. If this process is successful, schools, churches, mosques, synagogues, activity centers, and other community entities will coalesce together and become communities where people respect, appreciate, and understand each other in such a way that the people and the institutions learn through, from, and about each other.

That sense of community that I just described, and particularly the camaraderie that comes with it, was alive and well at our annual auction on April 12th. As with so many other events this year, I was taken by the number of people—more than 400!—who showed up in support. I especially appreciated hearing the music performed by people associated with the School (Shipley Singers, Mr. Mata and his string quartet, Mr. Casilla, and the cast of Little Shop of Horrors) as well as peoples’ generosity when bidding on the different items available. It would not have happened without the extraordinary work of our four chairs—Gretchen Cooney, Patti Dietrich, Jackie Simms, and Kathy Smith—whose priority was to fill the gym, celebrate our birthday, and make sure everyone had a good time. I think we succeeded, and we will be forever grateful to them and our Development team in Brownell, which also did an extraordinary job.

The auction was yet another of my final steps in this journey, and I had great fun serving as our auctioneer one last time. The Passover and Easter holiday weekend the next weekend was also enjoyable and even more nostalgia-filled. After all, it was the final holiday weekend our family will celebrate on the Shipley campus. Memories of many years filled our hearts and minds and helped prepare me for my final alumni event in Greater Philadelphia on April 22nd. We drew well over eighty alumni. People were enthusiastic, happy, and committed. For me, it was a special privilege to be able to thank them for more than twenty-five years of support and to introduce them to Michael Turner, Shipley’s soon-to-be tenth Head of School. Listening to the questions they asked and the observations they made, it became very clear to me that they feel remarkably good about the Shipley they knew and attended, and they understand the importance of Shipley making changes and continuously working to get better. Importantly, they are as excited about Michael as I am, and I know they will support him (and his family) in much the same way they have supported me (and my family) over the years. I would like to think that if I’ve done my job well, it will make Michael’s job just a little bit easier. He is as bright, talented, and committed as anyone could hope for, and he and his family will make a positive difference in this School.

The wonderful alumni event was followed in rapid succession by three more events: A visit from two of our alumni changemakers, author Madeline Miller ’96 and cartoonist Robb Armstrong ’81, who spoke to our students about their experiences at Shipley and beyond; Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day in Lower School; and the Lower School performance of Peter Pan, which was actually the first Lower School musical we have done during my tenure. All three of the events literally brought smiles to my face and tears to my eyes.

Interestingly, as different as the events were, the overarching message was clear and important: Students must pursue their dreams, develop and share their voices, and feel good about who they are. Madeline, who is the author of award-winning and best-selling books The Song of Achilles and Circe, and Robb, the developer and writer of the nationally syndicated cartoon “Jump Start” (developed in 1989 and appearing in over 350 newspapers), both suggested this idea explicitly.

We got to see the beginning of these processes in place as we listened to our Lower School students speak and perform at the Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Assembly and then watch many of them perform in Peter Pan. Frankly, the Peter Pan performance was more sophisticated and better done than many performances of it done by much older and more experienced casts. The students who played Peter Pan (Sam Slye), Captain Hook (Jackson Preisser and Alton Tiongco), Wendy (Grace Laine and Kayla Baykara), and all the other roles did it with confidence, conviction, and great ability. Not only did they do a great job (and have great futures ahead), they grew up in front of our eyes and are well on the way to achieving the goals that Madeline Miller and Robb Armstrong spoke to in such an eloquent and compelling manner. (A special note of thanks goes to Lower School parent Dani Tapper who came to us with the idea of doing the musical and made it happen; congrats to all of the students and adults involved in it. It was fabulous!)

With alumni weekend coming up, I know we’ll be pushing ourselves and others to access the energy and enthusiasm we’ve had up until now to finish the year in grand style. Being as process-oriented as I am, I am confident that the good thought being done about the different events will help all of us enjoy one further celebration of our 125th at Alumni Weekend and all of the ensuing events to follow through the month of May and into June. With things as hectic as they are (and will be), it seems appropriate that the character strength we are celebrating this month for Positive Education is humor. When and if you find yourself even remotely overwhelmed or anxious, take a step back and find something that makes you smile or laugh. (With our Middle School musical Mary Poppins coming up the weekend of May 18, remember that if humor does not do the trick, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!) I cannot tell you how fortunate I feel to be the head of this School. I hope to see you many times in the weeks to come. Be well, enjoy, and have a great month.

Warmest regards,
 
Steve Piltch
Head of School

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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.