September 3rd, 2024
| Hello Selwyn Families, Welcome to another school year! Beginnings are a great opportunity for reflection, and as we begin our sixty-seventh school year here at Selwyn, I think it’s worthwhile to reflect on who we are as a school and who we want to be. Our community here at Selwyn remains committed to its mission: to cultivate global citizens who embrace complex challenges with empathetic and innovative thinking that advances the human condition. We believe that we can accomplish this mission when we allow students to learn in a space that is nurturing, welcoming, and safe. That’s why Selwyn is a nonsectarian school. Because Selwyn School is nonsectarian, we do not affirm any one creed, religion, or viewpoint. Our student and family body are diverse and represent a wide range of viewpoints on many aspects of life. What binds us together as a school community though, is not our differences, but our similarities. We all believe that children deserve a chance to grow in spaces that promote learning, encourage challenges, and allow young students to grow into the unique people who they will become. I think a reminder of these shared values is necessary at the beginning of most school years, but this is especially true during a time when politics, elections, and civic discourse are at the top of many people’s minds. Students often discuss with themselves the things they hear at home or on the news, and in some government or social studies classes, these sorts of conversations are inevitable. We invite that sort of open, honest dialogue when it’s appropriate; however, we invite it with the understanding that we work to cultivate a school environment that is receptive of many viewpoints, that is open to a diversity of perspectives, and—above all—that every individual person has a fundamental human dignity. As a nonsectarian organization, Selwyn School invites a broad range of perspectives, politics, and ideas from its family body. These differences matter, and it is in these differences that we can find the shared values we have of creating a safe place for all students to learn. I appreciate all of our families, teachers, and students for modeling this openness in the free exchange of ideas for our broader community and culture. Thank you—let’s have a fantastic year! Best, Deborah Hof Head of School |
