Welcome Back CA!
Welcome back to Colorado Academy! I love this day. This is my sixth year at Colorado Academy, but in all my years of going to school and working at schools, I don't think there is any school that has as cool a start to the school year as CA. From the seniors welcoming the freshmen, to the excitement on the faces of Pre-K and Kindergarten students, this place is special. And this all-school assembly on opening allows all of us to come together to begin the year.
First, I would like to welcome all of our new students. If you are new to the school this year, will you please stand up! Let's welcome our new students. For you new students, trust that this is a very welcoming community. Don't be bashful about sitting down at lunch with new friends or joining a playgroup on the Lower School playground. Returning students, I know that you will go out of your way to welcome your new classmates. Try to remember your first day here and how much it meant to you for someone to open a door for you, to welcome you to their lunch table, to invite you over to their home. So, please go out of your way to help out someone new.
No matter how old we are or what our role might be in the school, we all share something in common: we are part of this community and we all have a stake in the quality of our shared experience. This community is based on shared values and our shared commitment to learning and growth. What you may not fully realize is that every person in this room has a voice and an ability to shape this community. It is a place of ideas -- and in this world of ideas --when you have a great idea about how to make this place better -- whether it is through finding a cause to support, or maybe starting a new club or activity --there is the possibility of you being able to make it happen. But, we also shape it through how we interact with one another-- in and out of the classroom. Every year, I come to school with a variety of goals related to what I want to achieve. This year, I am most interested in what all of us can do to make CA a stronger community. There are so many wonderful things about our culture. If you look at our Mission Statement, we are about challenging ourselves. We are a place that strives to seek excellence in all things: academics, the arts, and athletics. We believe strongly in contributing to the betterment of our world on both a local and global scale. We are an inclusive community -- we welcome different perspectives and difference. We value multicultural diversity. We are all about respect for others. We stand up for ethical behavior: we value integrity and honesty.
No matter what the words of our Mission Statement, we will only be the school we aspire to be if we engage in behavior that lives up to our ideals. This year, both on the faculty and student level, we are going to look closely at our culture. We want to be intentional and deliberate about what we think is most important. Believe it or not, this is not about getting straight A’s, or winning awards. To be sure, we want you to learn and grow intellectually. What I think is most important is the development of your character. Are you honest? Do you treat others with kindness? Do you take care of yourself? Do you look out for others? Do you stand up to injustice and unfairness? We know we all make mistakes, but, what matters most is what you do after you make a mistake --do you dust yourself off, try again, and make changes?
Your teachers want the best for you, and they want you to be your best. That is a tall order. But we know that you are capable of trying and making that effort. We know you are up for the task, and we look forward to working with you this year. One thing that we will do is to work in advisories and homerooms to come up with a list of our shared values -- a code for living -- that we can all look to and remind ourselves of what we think is most important.
One of the most fun aspects of this day is our tradition of introducing the senior class. Seniors, you are really are a fantastic group of students and we are looking forward to seeing what you accomplish this final year. Every year, seniors set an important tone for the year and I think you bring some great things to the table. I hope that this year you enjoy yourself, take pride in what you offer to the school, see the opportunity before you to help shape CA in positive ways, and leave your mark on this institution.
Lastly, I want to call your attention to a newly placed sculpture in front of the Upper School. It was created by sculptor and CA alumnus Navid Ghedami ’80 who spent only one year at CA, but to this day, he says it was one of the most important years of his life. This sculpture, titled “Envision,” is his gift to the new Upper School. His goal is to inspire students to “envision what you can achieve with an active imagination and friendly cooperation.” That will serve as a great theme for our year ahead, and I hope you’ll be on hand at our Homecoming celebration when Navid returns to campus from Houston to help dedicate the sculpture. Students: have a terrific school year. You are dismissed!
Back
First, I would like to welcome all of our new students. If you are new to the school this year, will you please stand up! Let's welcome our new students. For you new students, trust that this is a very welcoming community. Don't be bashful about sitting down at lunch with new friends or joining a playgroup on the Lower School playground. Returning students, I know that you will go out of your way to welcome your new classmates. Try to remember your first day here and how much it meant to you for someone to open a door for you, to welcome you to their lunch table, to invite you over to their home. So, please go out of your way to help out someone new.
No matter how old we are or what our role might be in the school, we all share something in common: we are part of this community and we all have a stake in the quality of our shared experience. This community is based on shared values and our shared commitment to learning and growth. What you may not fully realize is that every person in this room has a voice and an ability to shape this community. It is a place of ideas -- and in this world of ideas --when you have a great idea about how to make this place better -- whether it is through finding a cause to support, or maybe starting a new club or activity --there is the possibility of you being able to make it happen. But, we also shape it through how we interact with one another-- in and out of the classroom. Every year, I come to school with a variety of goals related to what I want to achieve. This year, I am most interested in what all of us can do to make CA a stronger community. There are so many wonderful things about our culture. If you look at our Mission Statement, we are about challenging ourselves. We are a place that strives to seek excellence in all things: academics, the arts, and athletics. We believe strongly in contributing to the betterment of our world on both a local and global scale. We are an inclusive community -- we welcome different perspectives and difference. We value multicultural diversity. We are all about respect for others. We stand up for ethical behavior: we value integrity and honesty.
No matter what the words of our Mission Statement, we will only be the school we aspire to be if we engage in behavior that lives up to our ideals. This year, both on the faculty and student level, we are going to look closely at our culture. We want to be intentional and deliberate about what we think is most important. Believe it or not, this is not about getting straight A’s, or winning awards. To be sure, we want you to learn and grow intellectually. What I think is most important is the development of your character. Are you honest? Do you treat others with kindness? Do you take care of yourself? Do you look out for others? Do you stand up to injustice and unfairness? We know we all make mistakes, but, what matters most is what you do after you make a mistake --do you dust yourself off, try again, and make changes?
Your teachers want the best for you, and they want you to be your best. That is a tall order. But we know that you are capable of trying and making that effort. We know you are up for the task, and we look forward to working with you this year. One thing that we will do is to work in advisories and homerooms to come up with a list of our shared values -- a code for living -- that we can all look to and remind ourselves of what we think is most important.
One of the most fun aspects of this day is our tradition of introducing the senior class. Seniors, you are really are a fantastic group of students and we are looking forward to seeing what you accomplish this final year. Every year, seniors set an important tone for the year and I think you bring some great things to the table. I hope that this year you enjoy yourself, take pride in what you offer to the school, see the opportunity before you to help shape CA in positive ways, and leave your mark on this institution.
Lastly, I want to call your attention to a newly placed sculpture in front of the Upper School. It was created by sculptor and CA alumnus Navid Ghedami ’80 who spent only one year at CA, but to this day, he says it was one of the most important years of his life. This sculpture, titled “Envision,” is his gift to the new Upper School. His goal is to inspire students to “envision what you can achieve with an active imagination and friendly cooperation.” That will serve as a great theme for our year ahead, and I hope you’ll be on hand at our Homecoming celebration when Navid returns to campus from Houston to help dedicate the sculpture. Students: have a terrific school year. You are dismissed!
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