Just six kids having fun!

It’s a pleasure coming back to Winchendon after being away on a trip, and this week was no exception. My travels had taken me out west, where in one meeting it had been thrill to speak about our school with an educator in Denver. This woman is very familiar with the broad array of secondary schools available across the country, but she was genuinely excited to learn more about the Winchendon Way and the support and structure that helps allow our students to succeed. Her comment was something along the lines of “Why aren’t more schools doing it this way?” As is too often the case, this woman was one of many influential educators who did not understand what makes Winchendon special.

And back on campus, while I had only been away for three days of classes, it was great to catch up with the students and community. Students would drop by the office to just to say “hello”, share their weekly grades or update me on our athletic achievements or college acceptances.

On Thursday, my first day back, I was sitting at lunch with a visitor and one of our teachers, and I looked to my left and was quickly reminded of another factor that makes Winchendon special. I pointed out to our visitor the six students sitting at the next table. They were all students who generally work pretty hard, but they were relaxing and having fun. In many respects it was probably typical of lunch at many high schools across the country Thursday with boys and girls enjoying a moment or two of down time. The only difference is that at the Winch, the six kids represented four continents and six different countries including Angola, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, France and the U.S.A. It was one of those moments that reminded me how lucky our kids are and how I wish that many more students could share in the Winchendon experience.