From the Headmaster

“Wichita Collegiate School will remain constant to those bedrock principles upon which it was founded and yet will continue to change, and to change for the better.”

By Tom Davis//Headmaster

FIFTY YEARS

Fifty years ago, we had slide rules, 16 mm home movies, rotary phones, 32 volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica on the book shelf, 3 channels of black and white television, Elvis Presley, gasoline at 33¢ per gallon, the world’s first heart transplant, the Dow Jones average at a record 905, Apollo 8 orbiting the moon, and Super Bowl #1 (which was won by the Green Bay Packers!). Fifty years ago, Wichita Collegiate School graduated its first class of seniors, the Class of 1967. Founding Headmaster Randall Storms handed diplomas to 13 graduates, who were the first pioneers to venture to college from our fledgling school. They had been educated by master teachers in chemistry, physics, earth science, French, Spanish, Latin, economics, English literature, history, and mathematics, as well as exposed to music, physical education, art, and typing (yes, on mechanical typewriters!). These graduates all went on to “prove themselves worthy” in the “real world,” and continue to do so even today. You will see their photos and read their stories in later pages of this issue. Fifty years later, many things have certainly changed. Calculators and computers have replaced slide rules. Wikipedia and Google have replaced the Encyclopedia. Taylor Swift replaced Elvis. Smart phones replaced the rotary phone and now even replace television. Elon Musk and Richard Branson are developing supersonic passenger planes for space travel. The world is constantly changing. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worse. But change it does. In 500 B.C., even the Greek philosopher Heraclitus penned that “there is nothing permanent except change.” But in this world of change, some things also remain constant. Wichita Collegiate has experienced both change and constancy in the last 55 years. We remain committed to a rigorous and relevant college preparatory curriculum at a high level of excellence. One can see that many of our courses have been constant since 1967: science, letters, arts. Our teachers have always been masters at their professions, engaging and challenging our students to wonder and to explore and to reflect. This has not changed. But what has changed is our knowledge of how students learn best. This has made us better teachers in adapting to that knowledge. Technology has enhanced the ability to both learn and teach, changes for both the student and the teacher. We have broadened our curriculum, providing more opportunities for students to pursue their individual curiosities and interests and passions. We have created innovation lab spaces, performance venues, and athletic arenas. Every year and in every way we are trying to change to make the experience of a student at Wichita Collegiate a richer, deeper, and more meaningful time, preparing each student for college and for life. As I prepare to pass the baton of leadership to a new Head of School in June of 2019, I will do so with the hope and conviction that Wichita Collegiate School will remain constant to those bedrock principles upon which it was founded and yet will continue to change, and to change for the better. 2017. Today. Collegiate’s best days are in the future.