ANDREW HOLMGREN

Ifirst heard these words from Fred Rogers when I was a little kid. “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”is one of my earliest childhood memories, and whenIwasscrollingthrough social media a few weeks ago — looking for Calvert’s most recent post I heard his words,“Iloveyoujustthewayyouare.”

It was right about the time that I was writing my annual graduation speech to be delivered on Castalia Lawn. The speech, at that point, was about the awkwardness I felt as an eighth-grade boy when my brother dragged me to the gym in order to prepare me for football. In my speech, I talked about the terrible mirrors that hung on every wall and perpetually reminded me that I didn’t fit in and wasn’t strong enough or good enough to be there.

As I wrote my speech and scrolled for that Calvert post, it occurred to me that my mirrors, the ones hanging on that gym wall many years ago, were no match for the mirrors that our graduates carry in their pockets each and every day. These mirrors that disguise themselves as phones show our children the entire world. Some of what they see is good and can be uplifting, but most of what our children see does neither of these things. Instead, and much like a young Andrew back in the gym, our kids only see reminders of what they are not, where they are not, and the people with whom they are not. I think everyone knows that adolescence and the insecurity that goes along with it is hard enough without digital assistance! Being a young person these days isn’t easy... and that is where my friend Mr. Rogers comes in.

At Calvert, we have always loved our students just the way they are. We want them to grow, learn, do better, and be better human beings, but we also know that accomplishing these tasks is a long and bumpy process. Along the way, there will be moments when our children will need our unconditional love more than other moments, but they will most assuredly need it. Just imag- ine the strength and confidence that children feel when they know they are part of a community that sees them, knows them, and loves them for who they are right now and for who they have the potential to be tomorrow. Just imagine the comfort children feel knowing that they are part of a community that will hold them close in their successes and even closer in their failures.

That community is and continues to be Calvert School. For 125 years, our community has placed children and childhood at the center of all that we do. We help our students and one another in good times and in bad, and that is why I write today with such confidence in where we are and where we are going. Calvert has never been stronger thanks to all of you, our faculty and staff, our Board, our alumni, and our wonderful students.

The past few years have not been easy, but they have also not slowed us down. In fact, I believe they have made us stronger by all measures. In the months ahead, we will open the new Lower School Science and Music Wing. We are excited by this meaningful addition to the program and look forward to welcoming the students into their new space. We also look forward to the continued growth of our program, whether it be in academics, athletics, the arts, or in the Institute for Leadership & Purpose. It was the ILP that truly shook us free of COVID restrictions by reopening the world to our students through its leadership journeys. Next year, this program will expand even further with experiential learning trips to Costa Rica and New Mexico.

All of these accomplishments and our continued commitment to love our students for who they are and for who they can become is thanks to our wider community. Thank you — and please remember that, no matter how far you go, you will always have a home at Calvert.

Sincerely,

Andrew Holmgren Head Master

a message from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees