WISDOM FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Sharing Stories of Dignity I am so excited to share Castilleja’s stories with you in this issue of Full Circle. Once again, we are exploring a community-wide theme; this year, all across campus we are deepening our understanding of Dignity. In our daily lives at Castilleja, we honor each other’s dignity in both subtle and obvious ways—by listening to each other with compassion, by sharing ourselves authentically, and by working together to be a community where everyone feels that they are valued and belong. Within these pages, you will see that we are back on campus, enjoying seeing each other in person again in the classroom, in the ACE Center, on the stage, in the Bourn Lab, on the field, and just relaxing around the Circle. That said, our speakers and presenters were often virtual, which meant that we were able to invite more guests, including alums and their families. This silver lining means a great deal to me; as an educator, I have always hoped to inspire lifelong learning. Sharing these conversations with our broader community supports that goal while also strengthening our connections across generations. Be sure to check out the smiling faces in our photos of Reunion to remember how valuable those relationships can become. You will also find news from campus—including groundbreaking changes in our library, accomplishments from our teams, positive impacts of recent initiatives
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and beloved traditions, and conversations with new community members. When I reflect on everything we have to share, I am impressed by our community’s capacity to continue to learn and grow through unexpected changes. Our reimagined Global Investigator Trip, which has traditionally taken place in the junior year but was moved to the senior year for the Class of 2022, is just one example. In early March, they returned from a trip to the Sonoran Desert and the U.S.–Mexico border where they explored the goals that have always been at the core of this experience— learning how to understand, value, and respect the dignity of others—this time in a new region and community within our own country. I hope that as you look through this issue of Full Circle, you can continue to consider what Dignity means to you; and sometime in the not-too-distant future, I hope that our paths can cross again around the Circle so you can share your thoughts with me and the other people at Castilleja who care so much about your story. Warmly,
Nanci Z. KauffmanHA Castilleja Head of School