the Grosse Pointe Academy
REMARKS FOR STATE OF SCHOOL MEETING
February 7, 2012
When a new Head arrives at a school, he never knows what he is going to find. You receive a lot of information ahead of time, some of it accurate, some of it not, but there is an awful lot you have to find out for yourself on the ground.
In a transition of leadership, a new Head thinks about the morale and spirit of the faculty, the programs the school runs, and, of course you wonder what the children are going to be like.
I found a faculty that was eager to be led by the Head of School and to be supported by the Head and by the parent body too. When the faculty returned to school in August, spirits were high and they were ready to go to work. This spirit was mentioned to me by many parents and trustees in the course of the fall.
Our teachers are “kid people.” They like children. I have never been around a faculty that cares more deeply about their children or is willing to give more to them. Can anyone question the time before school, during school, after school (often running into the evening hours), and on weekends that our teachers willingly spend with GPA students? Quite frankly, they give to your children more than the typical independent school gives. We must be careful not to take what we have for granted.
While our academic program is solid – you only have to look at the track record of our graduates to know that – it needs work in a number of areas. The curriculum of a school, and the program in general, should always be under review and open to change. Ours currently is … and certainly will continue to be under Lars Kuelling’s leadership. Lars is the Head of a middle school in his current job. I know he will generate many good ideas about program at all levels of our school. I think this is an exciting prospect for faculty, students, and for parents.
Our technology needs are tremendous. We formed a Technology Committee several months ago and they are putting the finishing touches on a technology plan for the school that will begin to go into effect this next school year.
We have wonderful children in this school. I see the way they conduct themselves in the classroom and around the campus and in the community. We all have bad days, but, for the most part, our students are well-behaved, bright, positive, engaged, and happy here. They like their teachers and they like each other. A case in point: yesterday morning in Chapel, the eighth grade was late arriving with their first grade buddies. The rest of the students sat there relaxed, quiet, and still, patiently waiting for their schoolmates. No one had to say a word to them. Amazing yet expected behavior at GPA.
I think this school needs to sell itself more aggressively than it has. In many ways we have hidden our light under the proverbial bushel. Our graduates are our “products,” if you will. Look at how they traditionally do in high school and beyond, regardless of the school they attend. Look at the kinds of human beings they have become. These aren’t accidents!
In fact, in a recent survey of alumni and alumni parents of independent schools, “The strongest predictor of the likelihood to recommend one’s alma mater to a friend is the strength of character development imparted by the school. This includes ethical/moral values, leadership, and resisting peer pressure.” The academic education they got at the school came in third place in the survey. Alumni and their parents were taking the somewhat longer view about what is most important for children. While we care deeply about academic preparation, this survey speaks to one of our greatest strengths, as a good place for children to grow strong and good and sure of themselves.
It is easy for a business or a school to talk about “what” they do and “how” they do it. “Why” they do what they do is always a more difficult question to answer. I believe The Grosse Pointe Academy faculty and trustees and many parents feel a sense of mission about this place. We are here because we believe that in our small and personal school community we can foster goodness and responsibility in our children, and instill a love of knowledge and learning in them, better than any other school in the area. That’s “why” we do what we do here. The Academy has long played an important role in the Grosse Pointe communities. It will continue to do so.
Michael J. Kennedy
Interim Head of School
