SERAFINA EARLY LEARNING CENTER A place of study, safety and enlightenment

On June 3, 2023, the Saturday of Parents Weekend, Delphian School unveiled the brand-new Serafina Early Learning Center. This significant milestone was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Delphian students, staff, alumni, parents, and friends. The incredible new facility seeks to honor the longstanding mission of the Delphian School and serve as a shining symbol of optimism for the future and the many generations of Delphians yet to come.

Nestled in the campus’s charming west staff neighborhood, the center offers an idyllic environment for young students to embark on their lifelong learning journey. Inside, you’ll find a cozy nursery providing a nurturing space for naps, tummy time, and diaper changes, opposite an open-plan multipurpose room for snacks, learning, and explorative playtime. Outside, an age-appropriate play structure and a sandbox invite curiosity and creativity, complemented by a covered play space for outdoor fun, no matter the weather. To cap it off, the building has its own bell tower intended to announce and celebrate graduates as they move up to the main building and begin the Delphian program in the Lower School.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony began with an all-choir performance and was presided over by Head of School Trevor Ott, Lower Dean Judi Glenski, the Holyfield, Emrani, and Colaianni-Tuttle families, President of Applied Scholastics International Christine Gerson, Delphian’s chairman of the board Dave Hendry, and the creator of the first iteration of Delphian’s Lower School program Carol Whitworth. A special acknowledgment went to Shon and Ariel Holyfield, the donors for this project.

The following is an excerpt of the dedication Shon Holyfield gave for the building in memory of alumna Melissa McPhail Holyfield:

“In early 2022, we lost a beloved family member, alumna, and staff, Melissa McPhail Holyfield. Melissa was always an advocate for and incredibly passionate about the school. She constantly talked about it, and when she talked about the school, she said that graduating from Delphian was probably one of her greatest achievements and one of the things that she was most proud of. 

“To honor her love for Delphian, I called Trevor to discuss the school’s needs. Trevor brilliantly said, ‘We have a need.’ And Serafina became a reality–one that is very fitting to be dedicated to Melissa. 

“Serafina, the building itself, is named after a place of study, safety, and enlightenment from Melissa’s book series A Pattern of Shadow and Light. It’s where one of her main characters goes to escape all sorts of danger in their environment in order to have the time and space to expand their abilities. 

“The name [for the Early Learning Center] was originally suggested to me by Trevor, who studied and researched [Melissa’s books] and came up with it, and it is a great name. And our family really, really loves it as well.

“We are here because we all share a love for Delphian. Tomorrow, you will see young adults leave Delphian to start their lives. Today we stand at the new starting line, the future beginning for future graduates of Delphian: the Serafina Early Learning Center.

“Delphian has a rich history of empowering young people to succeed in life. There is no question about the quality of a Delphian graduate. The future of Delphian is shaped by all of us, though. With the support of alumni and parents, it is my hope that Serafina will be just one of many exciting new facilities to help Delphian accomplish its educational mission.

“We hereby dedicate this building in honor of Melissa and the shared love we all have for Delphian and the youngest members of our Delphian community.”

The staff and faculty of Delphian would like to thank the Holyfield family for their enormous generosity. Their investment in Delphian’s future represents an investment in the future of education and will allow the youngest of students to begin their Delphian journey in an environment where they will be free to grow, dream, and create their future. 

Freedom to Be

By developing and utilizing imagination, children come into possession of themselves and are convinced that they are free to be something. The change with this realization is not an ultimate or absolute thing, for there is a gradient to everything, and there are always new heights above any plateau reached. 

Nevertheless, it should be an objective of education to bring the imaginations of children under their own discipline and thereby increase their capability of being what they want to be, not what they are forced to be.

L. Ron Hubbard
Education: Fostering Reason and Self-Determinism in Students
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