More often than not in this opening letter, I spend the majority of my time reflecting on family experiences from the summer. This year, I especially enjoyed a trip with my wife and youngest son to British Columbia, a place that is every bit as beautiful and welcoming as I could imagine. I also had an unusually good time when all three of our kids and their significant others and friends were together with us. Now that all three kids are out of college, getting them together at the same time isn’t easy, making it even more special when we are able to do it. It was especially good to be together just after we lost one of our dogs, Brady; we reminisced, told stories, laughed, and cried together when we celebrated his life.

While the summer on the whole has been restorative, I have been preoccupied during the last few weeks by the events in Charlottesville. I am intensely concerned that in 2017 – more than 50 years after the Civil Rights Bill became law and 80 years after the Holocaust – we continue to experience hatred, racism, and bigotry in this country that could well undo us unless we make some changes. Shouldn’t we able to engage with each other in a supportive, respectful, understanding, and non-violent manner regardless of ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds?

When I thought further about the situation that occurred in Charlottesville, I became concerned that our response to it was inconsistent, contradictory, and anxiety producing for many. When I was at my lowest point, I read a wonderful blog, The Lightning Notes, a short daily post to help us move the world forward by someone who is a long-time friend named Caitie Whelan*. When Caitie commented on the situation in Charlottesville, she noted a thought-provoking and powerful quotation from James Baldwin. It is a quotation worth remembering:

The quotation captures the essence of the challenge at hand: If we’re not willing to acknowledge the hatred, racism, bigotry, and negativism that exist and hold people responsible and accountable for them, we’ll never reconcile the differences. It should not surprise you that we discussed this issue during our colleague meetings earlier this week or that we will address it with our students when school starts next week.

The whole situation reinforced for me our commitment as a school to be respectful, understanding, and supportive of each other, regardless of our backgrounds. Of course, this is more easily accomplished when people are trusting of others and feel safe enough to make themselves vulnerable. I continue to be excited by the launch of Positive Education, which is founded on personal well-being and a growth mindset. (Specifics associated with the parent/guardian launch can be found later in the letter.) Committing to such a mentality allows us to better understand ourselves and the roots of our own perspectives and actions. It also allows us to better respect and understand others’ views.

Having participated in the colleague well-being retreat that revolved around the formal integration of Positive Education into the community, I rediscovered that becoming more respectful, more accountable, and more welcoming doesn’t call for huge changes initially. I was taken by how much more thoughtful, aware, and supportive people seemed to be once they had been able to make themselves vulnerable and had gotten comfortable having discussions with others that went below the surface. Discussions were more substantive, enjoyable, and productive; people were more interested and able to take themselves out of their comfort zones to get to know others and to help them manage different tasks. Moreover, as people made themselves more vulnerable, they appeared to be more understanding and more compassionate. Understanding your own perspective, making yourself available to others, and doing little things for others may be keys to helping each and every one of us see the world in a more positive and productive way.

Sometimes relationships can be developed by reaching out and doing little things that may seem unimportant and/or unrelated to the issues that were seen in Virginia. For example, following is one of the stories that Caitie shared in a recent issue of The Lightning Notes that particularly affected me. She wrote: