{"id":606,"date":"2017-11-17T11:07:46","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T18:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/?p=606"},"modified":"2017-11-17T11:07:46","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T18:07:46","slug":"home-is-the-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/2017\/11\/home-is-the-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Home is the Place"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contributed by Mark Silver, Head of School on ReMarks & Reflections<\/a>, the official blog of Hillbrook’s Head of School<\/em><\/p>\n

Walking on campus this week, I have found myself pausing to look. The dramatic color of the leaves in combination with the changing light of late Fall make for a tableaux that is consistently stunning. It is a period of time that I anticipate each year, a campus experience that I never take for granted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Friday afternoon our students will gather together on the amphitheater stage, underneath the colorful canopy of trees, to sing a series of songs as part of Grandparents & Special Friends Day. It is essentially the same set of songs that we have sung for as long as most people can remember. I have several favorites – \u201cSimple Gifts,\u201d \u201cTurkey Trot,\u201d \u201cThe Leaves Turn Gold in the Fall,\u201d but there is one – \u201cHome is the Place\u201d – that always strikes a particularly resonant chord.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHome is the place where somebody loves you, I\u2019m going there,<\/span><\/p>\n

Home is the same old streets and people, yet I know they care,<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve traveled far, and I will travel more,<\/span><\/p>\n

But my heart longs for my own front door.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The words, to me, beautifully capture the place that Hillbrook holds in the lives of our children, employees, and families. There is a palpable sense of calm that I feel each day that I step on campus, a sense of coming home to a place where each person is known and valued for who they are. It\u2019s a sense of the familiar and the predictable, of knowing that you\u2019ll know the routines, that you will understand what is happening. It\u2019s the feeling that comes from traditions, from having songs, shared values, and experiences that continue across generations. \u00a0It is the feeling of childhood joy and memories. It\u2019s the feeling that draws\u00a0alumni of all ages back to campus throughout the year<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, we are a school that is known for being innovative, for asking big questions and challenging ourselves to rethink the possible. We are not, typically, a school that does the same thing every year, that pulls out last year\u2019s notes and repeats lessons from generations ago. We take risks, try new things, and continually strive to better meet our vision and mission as a school.<\/span><\/p>\n

This past Monday, CFO Margaret Randazzo, Finance Committee Chair Vlado Herman, and I shared highlights of the initiatives that have emerged from\u00a0Vision 2020<\/a>\u00a0at the State of the School address. We highlighted how we are striving to reimagine the student experience, make Hillbrook a destination workplace for educators, create an increasingly diverse and inclusive community, and ensure the school\u2019s long-term financial health. Initiatives shared included:<\/span><\/p>\n