3 minute read
Letter from the Head of School
Dear Friends of Rock Point School,
As I reflect on the past year at Rock Point School, I am delighted to notice a parallel between our community and my new favorite baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles won me over with their commitment of seeing people for who they are: identifying the strengths in their players and creating an atmosphere where the players can shine. Similarly, the magic that happens at RPS begins when students are seen. Then, when the students feel safe, they shine.
In Camden Yards, the Orioles pitch with precision, hit home runs, steal bases, and lay out to dive for hard-hit balls. At RPS, in all areas of our programs, we strive to see students for who they really are and give them the chance to grow in manageable increments. Our students are not hitting, throwing, and catching; they are demonstrating their shine in their own ways. In our Congress of Change, students were invited to speak in the voice of a changemaker; some students who rarely participate orally in class felt safe speaking in their assumed roles. In our Cabaret, some students wrote plays and others acted them out, while yet other students took part by helping from behind the scenes. In a spring Reflections meeting, a few seniors shared their poetry. Other students, inspired by their courage, ran to get their journals to share their own poems or others’ poems that were meaningful to them. Throughout the year, students bravely allowed themselves to be seen, grew in their sense of safety, and let their own light shine.
As our new graduates made their way into the world, students from the past made their way back to RPS for our reunion. It was wonderful to see alumni and families from the class of 1974 all the way up to the class of 2022, and staff members too. As I recognized each face from the near or distant past, I noticed their stories and appreciations shared a similar theme: Thank you, all of you at Rock Point, for providing an experience that allowed me to be seen and share my voice. It still impacts me today.
I am proud and grateful to be a part of this community where we see and value our young people. In the environment of safety they find here, I am gratified to see them blossom. Thank you for doing your part to support RPS, allowing us to provide life-changing experiences for our students by helping them to be brave, to take risks, and to become the best version of themselves they can be.
Be well. Stay in touch.
Yours in health and community,
