The question of “How’s it going?” is all around me this year. After moving to Pennsylvania from Maryland, after stepping into the role as Head of School in July, and as the world around us adjusts in new ways following the recent election season, “How’s it going?” has become more than a check-in from far away friends and family, more than a curious query from community members and alumni. It has become an inquiry into the existential state of the school itself, both a question and a plea for reassurance that all is well. And in fact, when I consider the strengths and purpose of this school community, all IS well.

For example, on a Friday morning in early October, I visited a kindergarten PE class taught by Josh Leopold (AFS ’08). This was the 17th class I’d visited that week, so I admit that my expectations were pretty tame. How could kindergarten PE possibly dazzle me? What I didn’t know is that Josh is magical with small children, that his class that very warm October day would involve teaching kids to juggle “really cold snowballs” (otherwise known as plush toys), to find joy in physical movement, to engage their imaginations, and to play collaboratively with one another.

I noticed that one of the smallest girls in the class was struggling a bit in the way that young children do—she would throw the snowballs up and then they’d fall at her feet when she was unable to catch them quickly enough. She became frustrated and teary. Josh crouched down to eye level to comfort her. He asked her if she wanted a drink of water. I saw her wipe her eyes a bit and nod her head. As she passed me on her way to the water fountain, I asked her, “Do you need a hug?” She nodded and threw herself into my arms for a quick moment. Then she got her drink and got back in the game. A few minutes later, she was smiling, engaging with the other children in her class, taking a few initial steps toward the kind of resilience we hope to see in all students over time.

Seeing that class, learning about just how dazzling kindergarten PE really is, and most importantly hugging that child: that was my purpose for the day. That fifteen minute visit taught me about how we set the conditions for healthy growth and development for our students every day. And being there to comfort a child; her trusting me to offer her a moment of release evidenced her expectation that this community works to offer her both love and learning, in equal measure.

I see evidence of that expectation from our students every day: in the new ninth grade students who approached me to advocate for a “real homecoming” dance so they’d have an opportunity to dress up, in the third grade teachers who asked me to serve as the airline “Captain” on their trip to China, in shy waves from Middle School students when I walk through the hallways, in conversations with Upper School students when they share their hopes about the future and the world they hope to build.

So when someone asks, “How’s it going?” with a knowing or wistful expression, I can only reply that it’s going very well, indeed. We have purpose, we have this remarkable community. I’m inexpressibly grateful for both.

In friendship,

Nicole Hood