This morning I happened to walk into the dining room at right around 10:00. I was in there by myself, and it was eerily quiet. Normally there would be a lot of buzz, especially after the weekend of successes.
Cory or Ian might have quickly grabbed the opportunity to celebrate men’s hockey’s wins over Buckingham, Brown and Nichols and then Bridgton. When the cheering stopped, Britney or one of the Sam’s would have countered with news about the women’s team’s tie with St. Paul’s followed by wins over Brooks and a team from New Jersey. Pause for more hooting and cheering! That’s a lot of good hockey.
It would then have taken a few moments to quiet the room down, but we would have then gotten to talk about the day’s news. It’s tough to figure out who might have offered what, but I would guess that it might have gone as follows:
• Tucker might have offered something about President-elect Obama’s most recent cabinet selection rumors.
• Yaewon would likely have said something about the recent warming cycle of freezing and thawing of relations between South and South Korea.
• It wouldn’t have surprised me if Victor had talked about President Mugabe’s refusal to grant former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former U.N. Sectary General Annon and Winnie Mandela permission to visit Zimbabwe.
• Perhaps Mr. McDonald, Mr. Blair or Dajin would have commented on the Citibank bailout or the stumbling talks with the big three automakers.
And then Jordan would have brought a chuckle by deliberately overlooking the Patriot’s win to focus on the Giant’s and Jet’s successes. We will turn him into a Boston fan yet!
After that it would be time to get more serious again. My announcements would have focused on campus safety today with all of the construction and improvements being made this week. There is a full construction crew in the gymnasium making preparations for the new fitness center. The electricians, carpet guys and maintenance crew are in the Library putting new carpet down and wiring for the new Information Resource Center. Several classrooms would be out of commission as they get wired for new flat screen monitors, and contractors are in and out of both the Art Building and Posich (performing arts) as we prepare for renovations on both of these special buildings. Please try to stay out of the way of the workers!
Mr. Magay or Mr. Williams would have then offered some hints of some great upcoming weekend opportunities, Mr. Ward might have reminded us about this evenings A Cappella practice or the looming application date for the University of California schools, and then a birthday or two would have been celebrated.
After a couple of more announcements, there would have been a moment or two to catch up with an advisor or friends, grab a hot chocolate or coffee, and then it would have been time to head back to classes.
BUT, WE ARE ON VACATION! Enjoy yourselves. You have earned it!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Photo of the Week
Members of the women's varsity ice hockey team were at the rink to cheer on the men in their 5-3 victory over Buckingham, Brown and Nichols (BB&N). I am worried that don't seem to be having any fun!
Thanksgiving
It’s Saturday morning and most of the students and many of the faculty have left for a well-deserved break. The women’s hockey team and men’s varsity basketball and hockey teams are still around, and all three are off to great starts to their seasons. After a two point loss in their first game, the basketball team has won their next four games decisively. Cumulatively through their first five games, they have outscored their opponents 413-301. The women and men’s hockey teams have both jumped out to quick starts as well and have looked strong on the ice. The women overcame St. George’s on Wednesday in a scrimmage and then beat a Canadian team yesterday. The men scored a 5-3 win over Buckingham, Brown and Nichols this morning in the first game of their jamboree and will face Bridgton this afternoon. The women were there to cheer for that game and are now on busses bound for Exeter for three games this afternoon.
But otherwise, the campus is getting quiet quickly, allowing me to catch up on some work and some thinking. As I sit here looking out across the cold, sunny golf course towards Mt. Monadnock, I am reminded that one of my favorite parts of each day is Morning Meeting. It is important how the school comes together, sits in advisee groups and shares a few moments together. There are often serious announcements as well as very fun pronouncements. We share laughs with each other, cheer victories academic, athletic and otherwise and sometimes poke fun at one another. And most days we find time to have a very large group discussion of sorts of world events with several different people regularly chiming in. It’s great to be able to talk about current events with so many perspectives from so many countries and backgrounds represented in one room.
This past Thursday was our last meeting before break, and I changed things up a bit to take time to talk a little about Thanksgiving and all that we have to be thankful for, especially in light of the world events and the current economic upheaval. It was still a participatory discussion but with more of a framework provided by me. I thought I would share a few of my notes, with the hope that readers will recognize that there was input from others in the course of this discussion.
We first talked about the roots of Thanksgiving, with most believing that the American holiday is traced back to the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. Many seemed surprised 1)at the notion that post-harvest celebrations have been going on for thousands of years, 2)that many other countries and groups have similar celebrations and 3)that historians increasingly think that the first Thanksgiving in this country was celebrated in the mid 16th century near what is now St. Augustine, FL by a group of Spanish explorers. History does get rewritten!
I then wanted to try to find a context to put all that we have to be thankful for in. We discussed the total world population, estimated to be this month at 6.75 billion. We then talked about how the people gathered in this room represent some of the 1% most fortunate people in the world – the 1% wealthiest, healthiest, best educated, best fed people in the world.
We then contrasted that to the approximate number of people in the room that morning (about 300) and discussed the fact that for each of us, there were about 20,000,000 who are far less fortunate than us. To put that 20,000,000 in context, I suggested that each person think of their 20,000,000 people as their own country in which we are among the most fortunate people in. If any of us were really a country, it would put us right around the 50th largest country in the world, in the top quartile in terms of population and nestled right in there with Syria and Mozambique. It’s a different way of thinking about things but helped me and at least a couple of others reflect on just how fortunate we are.
I suggested to the group that we each take a moment to think about what our own ‘country’ would look like, to think about the following…
Many wake up wondering when and where their next meal will come from.
Millions wake up worried that their home or village will be attacked in the next 24 hours or that a family member will be harassed.
Millions wake up worried that they will lose a family member to disease or malnutrition in the next day.
Millions of kids in your country won’t get to go to school or learn to read or write.
And then I closed along the following lines…
“We in this room are among the most fortunate in the world and have so much to celebrate Thanksgiving for. I think that we often forget just how fortunate we are as we worry about tests, grades and the SAT’s, whether we have a cold or an infection or a concussion or whether we will have cell phone coverage or just how bad the economy is.
“We don’t worry about where our next meal will come from…
We have the opportunity to take advantage of a fabulous education…
We don’t worry about who will care for us…
We can have confidence that rebels aren’t going to come sneaking up Hall Road tonight and that there will be a peaceful transition to the new president’s government in the coming months…
We can clothe ourselves, and our families are safe…
We are part of a very caring community…
“So, as you enjoy your break, I hope that you will take a few minutes to reflect on all that we do have. If you have any trouble doing that, think about the 20,000,000 people in your own make believe country that you are more fortunate than.”
“While I can also be guilty of wanting, of complaining, I quickly get over it when I think about all that I do have, my family, my health, much happiness and the Winchendon community. I have much to be thankful for.
“And to all of you, I say a very big thanks for an incredible fall. Thank you for the fun that we have had. Thanks for welcoming me to your community. Thanks for all that you do each day to help each other and to make Winchendon such a special place. Thank you.”
Have a great Thanksgiving.
But otherwise, the campus is getting quiet quickly, allowing me to catch up on some work and some thinking. As I sit here looking out across the cold, sunny golf course towards Mt. Monadnock, I am reminded that one of my favorite parts of each day is Morning Meeting. It is important how the school comes together, sits in advisee groups and shares a few moments together. There are often serious announcements as well as very fun pronouncements. We share laughs with each other, cheer victories academic, athletic and otherwise and sometimes poke fun at one another. And most days we find time to have a very large group discussion of sorts of world events with several different people regularly chiming in. It’s great to be able to talk about current events with so many perspectives from so many countries and backgrounds represented in one room.
This past Thursday was our last meeting before break, and I changed things up a bit to take time to talk a little about Thanksgiving and all that we have to be thankful for, especially in light of the world events and the current economic upheaval. It was still a participatory discussion but with more of a framework provided by me. I thought I would share a few of my notes, with the hope that readers will recognize that there was input from others in the course of this discussion.
We first talked about the roots of Thanksgiving, with most believing that the American holiday is traced back to the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. Many seemed surprised 1)at the notion that post-harvest celebrations have been going on for thousands of years, 2)that many other countries and groups have similar celebrations and 3)that historians increasingly think that the first Thanksgiving in this country was celebrated in the mid 16th century near what is now St. Augustine, FL by a group of Spanish explorers. History does get rewritten!
I then wanted to try to find a context to put all that we have to be thankful for in. We discussed the total world population, estimated to be this month at 6.75 billion. We then talked about how the people gathered in this room represent some of the 1% most fortunate people in the world – the 1% wealthiest, healthiest, best educated, best fed people in the world.
We then contrasted that to the approximate number of people in the room that morning (about 300) and discussed the fact that for each of us, there were about 20,000,000 who are far less fortunate than us. To put that 20,000,000 in context, I suggested that each person think of their 20,000,000 people as their own country in which we are among the most fortunate people in. If any of us were really a country, it would put us right around the 50th largest country in the world, in the top quartile in terms of population and nestled right in there with Syria and Mozambique. It’s a different way of thinking about things but helped me and at least a couple of others reflect on just how fortunate we are.
I suggested to the group that we each take a moment to think about what our own ‘country’ would look like, to think about the following…
Many wake up wondering when and where their next meal will come from.
Millions wake up worried that their home or village will be attacked in the next 24 hours or that a family member will be harassed.
Millions wake up worried that they will lose a family member to disease or malnutrition in the next day.
Millions of kids in your country won’t get to go to school or learn to read or write.
And then I closed along the following lines…
“We in this room are among the most fortunate in the world and have so much to celebrate Thanksgiving for. I think that we often forget just how fortunate we are as we worry about tests, grades and the SAT’s, whether we have a cold or an infection or a concussion or whether we will have cell phone coverage or just how bad the economy is.
“We don’t worry about where our next meal will come from…
We have the opportunity to take advantage of a fabulous education…
We don’t worry about who will care for us…
We can have confidence that rebels aren’t going to come sneaking up Hall Road tonight and that there will be a peaceful transition to the new president’s government in the coming months…
We can clothe ourselves, and our families are safe…
We are part of a very caring community…
“So, as you enjoy your break, I hope that you will take a few minutes to reflect on all that we do have. If you have any trouble doing that, think about the 20,000,000 people in your own make believe country that you are more fortunate than.”
“While I can also be guilty of wanting, of complaining, I quickly get over it when I think about all that I do have, my family, my health, much happiness and the Winchendon community. I have much to be thankful for.
“And to all of you, I say a very big thanks for an incredible fall. Thank you for the fun that we have had. Thanks for welcoming me to your community. Thanks for all that you do each day to help each other and to make Winchendon such a special place. Thank you.”
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Another Big Day For Winchendon Athletics
Wednesday afternoon was another big day for Winchendon. Our Men's Varsity Soccer Team went into the Class B NEPSAC tournament as the #1 seeded team and lived up to that billing, winning 7-1. The team played exceptionally! The semi-final game will played on the Williston Northampton campus on Saturday at 2:00 PM against South Kent School. Come cheer the team on if you are in the area. For a more complete write-up of yesterday's game, click here.
As the soccer team was finishing, the Men's Varsity game was getting under way. They too had a terrific day, chalking up a win of 104-52. The hoop team is now 2-1 on the season and looking very strong.
In every game there are the unsung heroes. This blog entry acknowledges the guys who run the sidelines for our soccer games. Thanks guys!
As the soccer team was finishing, the Men's Varsity game was getting under way. They too had a terrific day, chalking up a win of 104-52. The hoop team is now 2-1 on the season and looking very strong.
In every game there are the unsung heroes. This blog entry acknowledges the guys who run the sidelines for our soccer games. Thanks guys!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Lilly In Charge
Meet Lilly. She's new to the Winch this year as a 9th grader and has been a wonderful addition to our community. She seems to throw herself at everything she takes on. This fall she showed her gumption and skills as she was the only girl to join the Men's JV Soccer squad. There she quickly earned the spot of starting goalie, was selected as Captain and helped lead the team to a successful season. Lilly's skills should bode well next fall as we launch the Women's Varsity Soccer program.
Lilly was initially attracted to Winchendon after meeting Mr. Delorme at a hockey tournament in Canada. She was intrigued by the opportunity to to be part of the new program and came for a visit. She's been pleased by her choice and was complimentary of her Winchendon experience so far. She also noted that the ice here is "phenomenal".
Long term, Lilly has ideas of forming her own hockey program or possibly running a rink complex. As the photo above suggests, she certainly looks like a natural in the boss' chair!
Winchendon/Hatch - Living Large!
Prior to 1961, The Winchendon School, then known as The Hatch School, was located in Newport. These buildings, now part of Salve Regina College, were principle buildings of the campus. In 1961, the board of trustees determined that these buildings were too expensive to heat and maintain and made the decision to move the campus to our current location. While these were pretty fancy digs with great views, our current campus suits us much better today!
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