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Condensing Our Mission Statement, Or Carolina Friends School Summer 2009 Condensing Our Mission Statement, or ‘Til by Turning, Turning, We Come ‘Round Right by Kathleen Davidson, Admissions Coordinator At CFS we often speak and approved by staff and board of “mission moments,” during the 1999-2000 school year: those experiences that As we sought advancement capture the essence of strategies that can broaden the circles of people who understand Carolina Friends School. Carolina Friends School, we were Mike Hanas shares such advised consistently to condense moments at Board meet- this statement. We were told that ings; I share them on our goal should be a concise tours; staff share them statement that captures the essence of our school, yet can be with each other, parents, recalled easily by as many mem- and students. bers of the community as possi- photo by Nick Kelsh For me, the search for a con- ble. 30 words, some recommend. densed CFS mission statement has Students enjoy a lovely spring day on the Lower School field. Last spring several Head been one of those illuminating experiences, and Mike has asked Teachers and I attended a professional workshop about articulat- that I share it via We & Thee. ing our schools’ missions, and we emerged revved up to meet this Since 2000, Carolina Friends School has articulated our mis- challenge. Why, we thought we might even have a condensed ver- sion in six sentences--with a total of 131 words--that were crafted sion by the time we arrived back in Durham! continued on page 4 From the Principal by Mike Hanas Recognizing the Power of“” Hello Ironically, as we bid farewell to the CFS teresting woman who never spoke to anyone those words, and just a few weeks later the graduating class of 2009 and bring to a close and who seemed to sit all day hunched over woman, warned by Social Services that she our 2008-09 school year, the power of a the ‘up-down’ switch that it was her job to was about to lose her son, turned to Cal, greeting, and other simple gestures, is on my operate.” Cal sure spoke plainly. whom she recognized as “the only one I can mind. His initial “Good morning” greetings think of who might understand and be able Specifically, it is Cal Geiger’s use of elicited no response from the woman; then to help.” Cal did help the woman and her “Good morning” that inspires me as I write came “a sort of bitter grunt” that left Cal family find the support they needed and, in today. (To learn more about Cal, the Friend “joyous.” Eventually, she snarled, “What’s so doing, reminds us all “what a ‘Good who started the Upper School Service good about it?” to which Cal replied, “Oh morning’ or what other simple things we do Program in 1972, see page 10.) In Leadings well, it can’t be all that bad, I think.” She might be able to achieve.” along the Way: Stories from the Life of Calhoun D. laughed and added, “And good morning to While each of us enjoys countless oppor- Geiger, Cal recounts the story of his interac- you, and bless you for all the times you have tunities to extend personal greetings, at CFS tion with an elevator operator, one he wasted those words on me.” we’ve also paid increasingly close attention to describes as “a bitter-looking and very unin- Cal was convinced he had not wasted our institutional versions continued on page 11 We & Thee 2 Congratulations, Class of 2009! photo by Laura Shmaniaa The Members of the CFS Class of 2009 On Saturday, June 6, Carolina Friends Colin Ian Ashley Philip David Mayer School gathered in the gym for a Meeting Kirsten Michelle Bahnson Siobhan Nora McGowan for Worship with Attention to Graduation, Jasmine Renée Berry Lateef Frederick Mitchell centered on the 40 students in the Class of 2009. After a Meeting for Worship in which Susannah Lee Butters Jeramie Paige Orton many meaningful messages shared with the Marcus Albert Cerrone Sara Catherine Overton group, each student received a diploma and Xin Chi Ryan Walker Page a hug from Principal Mike Hanas and Austin Mackenzie Cook Tevinn Lamar Robertson Upper School Head Teacher Carrie Huff. Graham Jones Dodge Samuel Robinson After a standing ovation, hugs were Molly Marie Donahue Juliette Héléne Rousseau exchanged all ‘round. Leia Margaret Gaskin-Sadiku Samuel Robert Schopler Tristan Douglas Green Maxine Schroeder Anna Ruth Weston Halberstadt David Edward Sloan Benjamin T. Harris Madeline Grace Smith-Gibbs Anna Elizabeth Scarborough Hart Hannah Pascal Strom Yanet (Lily) Krogmann Samantha Pascal Strom Edwin John Leskin Georgia Eleanor Valentine Nathan Margolis Nate Henry Vernon Dru Elizabeth Marion William York Warasila Erin Kaleigh Matchinske-Brehmer Joshua Nicholas Whitney Marin Elisabeth Matchinske-Brehmer Michael Stuart Wilson We & Thee 3 photo by Laura Shmania photo by Laura Shmania photo by Chris Grochowski photo by Laura Shmania The Colleges that the Class of 2009 Will Attend UNC Chapel Hill (4) Connecticut College Maryland Institute College of UNC Wilmington Guilford College (3) Davidson College Art University of Miami Haverford College (2) Earlham College Middlebury College University of Rochester Aveda Institute Gardner Webb University Oberlin College Washington University Beloit College George Washington University Occidental College Wesleyan University Centre College Grinnell College Rice University Whitman College College of Wooster Macalester College Sarah Lawrence College Colorado College Lewis & Clark College UNC Asheville Other Schools Offering Admissions to the Class of 2009 American University Emory University Trinity University (TX) University of Rhode Island Appalachian State University Goucher College Tufts University University of South Carolina Brandeis College Hampshire College Tulane University University of Vermont Case Western Reserve University Kenyon College University of Colorado Boulder Virginia Tech Clark University (MA) Knox College University of Georgia Athens Warren Wilson College Colgate University McDaniel College University of Maine Orono Wellesley College Concordia University (Montreal) New College of Florida University of Minnesota Wheaton College (MA) Denison University North Carolina State University UNC Charlotte Whittier College Duke University Pitzer College UNC Greensboro Winston Salem State University Eckerd College Purdue University University of Pittsburgh Worcester Polytechnic Institute Elon University Randolph Macon College University of the Puget Sound We & Thee 84 Seeking to Condense Our Mission Statement from page 1 Not so, then or in the weeks that fol- using consistently, and proposed a state- lowed. The more we tried, the more chal- ment to Friday Meeting in late March. It lenging the task became. was immediately clear that we had not yet Let it be clear that at no time have any reached our goal. It was also clear that it of us ever imagined that we were doing was time to get the Board and Center anything to modify the mission of staff involved in this process. I met with Carolina Friends School. Quite the con- both groups in April and contacted a few trary: we’ve wanted to capture our mis- parents whom I knew were wordsmiths sion in words that would speak clearly with a deep understanding of CFS. both to those inside the community and Throughout this process we’ve said those who don’t already know us. Our that we were looking for responses, not goal was to share our mission more effec- necessarily alternative statements, but tively, not to change it one iota. many have tried their hand at writing, and Over the summer, we contracted with all feedback has been very helpful. One Kelsh Wilson Design to conduct focus board member composed something in groups to prepare for writing and design- the middle of a night that got us much ing the first professionally designed closer to where we wanted to be. admissions materials for CFS. We selected On Friday, May 1, most of the Head the Kelsh Wilson team because they had Teachers and I shut ourselves in the not only designed materials for several Center conference room affirming that we other Friends Schools, but they also had would not leave until we felt confident children attending Friends Schools. So we that we had the condensed CFS mission thought we’d give the writer/researcher a statement in hand. We were close, we chance to craft our statement. He offered knew. We phrased and rephrased, we cut, several valuable alternatives, which we cir- we added. We read aloud and tweaked and culated through staff meetings, along with read again. After a couple hours, we two composite statements we had crafted, thought we had it. based on what we found most compelling A head teacher entered the room, in his suggestions. apologizing for having been detained, and At staff meetings, teachers said consis- we asked her to read the statement aloud. tently that they would prefer condensed She did so, unknowingly inserting one versions of our original statement to word that elicited from all of us the these newer drafts, and they identified the “Aha!” of knowing. passages that they found most essential. On the facing page we present the Trouble was, the different units didn’t revised CFS mission statement, as it will identify the same passages! So the Head appear in our new admissions materials. Teachers and I went back to the drawing What word had been inserted? The board. After much discussion, and recog- “our” before children, in the last sentence. nizing that collaborative writing can be For many of us, this search has been next to impossible at times, they suggest- emblematic of that line from the song ed I review everything to date and pro- Simple Gifts: “‘til by turning, turning, we pose something to Friday Meeting (our come ‘round right.” administrative team).
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