Faculty & Staff Updates

I try to write to the faculty & staff at Derryfield fairly often about a variety of issues. No one needs more e-mail to sort through, so I don't overdo it, but pick my spots around issues, things we are doing well, things we have to keep working on.

Here's an example of a very positive update to the faculty & staff that reflects the last few weeks:

Friends,

I’ve been in the amazing position the last few weeks of getting more accolades for our faculty staff than I can pass on in a timely manner. It started with Grandparents and Special Friends Day – we simply inspired and uplifted so many people. My In Box was full, and I shared the commendations with many of you individually.

The following, with slight editing, are two of the many pieces I have received since then:

"Mr. Sellers - I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to you and all the staff at Derryfield. Way too often, we only hear things which are negative in nature. I felt like maybe it would be nice to end the week with a positive note!

Our son in high school is new to Derryfield, and he comes home daily and speaks about his experiences for an hour or more. We often have to push him to finish up his conversations about the day so that he can eat dinner and tackle homework, etc. Comparing this to his previous academic experiences where we had to drag information out of him, this is an amazing transformation. Recently, when his grade on a writing assignment was not where he wanted it to be, there was a note from the teacher on the assignment requesting a meeting to work on his skills.

Wow! So amazing to know that our child is being taught and educated. He now understands how to improve his writing skills, not an easy process but a skill which is essential for future success.

Thanks again for all you are doing and thanks for making the first month an incredible experience for our son. He actually looks forward to school - can you imagine??"

* * * *

"Mr. Sellers,

Our daughter came home today with a story about her day at school that shows an aspect of how Derryfield is different.

She was eating lunch in the cafeteria. After she was done, she emptied her tray into the trash. After lunch she realized that her new glasses had been on her lunch tray and were now buried at the bottom of the trash barrel under the leftovers of dozens of middle school lunches.

She explained the situation to a MS teacher, and she got our daughter some gloves to wear while picking through the trash. Initially she was assisted just by her friend. Then the friend brought over the other trash can and together they started transferring the trash from one can to the other in search of the glasses.

At my middle school retrieving one's glasses from the bottom of a lunchroom trash barrel would have been an unpleasant and lonely task. The best one could expect would be to be aided by perhaps one close friend while enduring the taunts of classmates who would be greatly entertained by observing and commenting on your misfortune.

But that's not what happened.

One by one, other students saw what was going on and came over to help. In the end, over a half dozen students volunteered their help and spent their recess period sifting through the contents of the trash barrel. Some didn't wait for gloves to arrive and used paper towels to protect their hands; improvising an alternate safe method to help. The glasses were found. Then everyone cleaned up and headed off to class.

The students who volunteered took the opportunity to support the standards of the school. They treated a fellow classmate in need with care and respect. They volunteered for a fairly distasteful chore to help a classmate and through their actions helped build a sense of community and maintained the good nature of the school.

Thank you (and your students) for making Derryfield a special place. Parents"

* * *

I’ve had a terrific trip to Dallas, and spent an exuberant evening with alumni on Friday. More on that later – for now, I hope you are enjoying your weekend knowing we are part of a remarkable school.

CNS

Thinking About Headship

The National Association of Independent School ("NAIS") has done a lot of thinking about Headship, and how to categorize and measure the different skills that comprise the job.

They put it this way: “Our competency modeling identifies 14 domains that are highly relevant for headship:

• Adaptability
• Mentoring and coaching
• Financial acumen
• Decision making
• Diversity
• School mission and values
• Leadership
• Social awareness
• Managerial effectiveness
• Personal effectiveness
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Vision
• Emotional intelligence

I think the list represents a good start.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day

Good morning and welcome to October, welcome to The Derryfield School, and welcome to our Grandparents & Special Friends Day. My name is Craig Sellers and I have the honor of starting our Assembly today.

I would first like to thank our faculty & staff for working to make this day so uplifting and so inviting to you, our guests.

Thank you, faculty, for inspiring not just one generation but several generations of students this morning.

Next, thanks to the wonderful volunteers of our PFA led by Patricia Barstow. They were here last night until late working hard, and they were here this morning putting the finishing touches on the gathering in our gym. From the invitations to the signs to the schedule, thank you for all the attention to detail that helped to make the day so successful.

And of course, a special thank you to Dianne Allen, our Alumni Coordinator and PFA Liason – Di, I can’t imagine doing this without you and your cheerful leadership – thank you.

I am in my fourth year at Derryfield, and each year I look forward to the unique feeling we get from this day. I look forward to it because I am enormously proud of our faculty, and of the care and professionalism they bring to their roles and to your grandchildren and special friends. I simply like being there to hear your reactions, and to watch as you get excited about learning in the same way our students do every day.

I look forward to this day because I am very proud of our students, the way they handle themselves, and the way they extend themselves to visitors. I enjoy seeing that they are proud of our school, and they want to share their enthusiasm with family and friends. The comfort and ease of our students is evident, and their presence is the bright center of a learning environment designed to stimulate creativity, community and character.

Lastly, I look forward to today because I miss my grandparents, and your presence reminds me of all the good they brought into my life. I am quite sure I would not be standing here today – would not have found myself at home working in a school – had it not been for my grandparents. And I want to take just a few moments this morning to tell you a story of how this 48 year old grandchild was supported, influenced and encouraged by a grandparents.

I’ll tell you this story not because I think it is particularly unique, but because I am in a room full of special people who are doing the exact same thing right now for their grandchildren and special friends, as my grandparents did for me.

I never met two of my grandparents, and I told the story last school year of my grandfather on my dad’s side who was spotted playing baseball by a prominent business man who offered a college scholarship to my grandfather if he would play for the business man’s alma mater. My grandfather went home that day to his parents who were coal miners, asked them what they thought of this place called Swarthmore the man had told him about – they had never heard of it, but they said to give it a try because the coal mines would always be there.

No one on my dad’s side of the family attended college before that moment. No one has not gone to college since.

Recently I got to thinking about my grandmother on my mom’s side of the family because of an article in the Sunday New York Times about the latest new, amazing, high-tech gadget pen.

The article describes a seventh grade math class in California that has been “outfitted with ‘smart pens,’ and the pens perform an interesting trick: when students write in their notebooks, the pen records audio of whatever is going on around it and links the audio to the handwritten words. If the written notes are inadequate, the students can tap the pen on a sentence or word, and the pen plays what the teacher was saying at that precise point.

A student showed the author how it worked, flipping to her page of notes on exponents and tapping a set of numbers in the middle of the page. Out of a tiny speaker in the thick, cigar-shaped pen, the author could hear the teacher explaining that precise problem. “It’s like having your own little personal teacher there, with you at all times,” the student said.

Now this is where I have to go sideways for just a moment and tell you that when I lived in New York City in a small apartment I collected fountain pens, and really immersed myself in the history, the design, the technology and the beauty of these creations. It was a great city hobby, in part because pens don’t take-up take much space, and because the city had fountain pen stores scattered all around it.

My mom learned about this and during one of her visits she gave me her mom’s – my grandmother’s – fountain pen. It is a Parker 51 – in good shape, perfectly fine with an original nib, somewhat valuable, and these pen-geek descriptors are utterly beside the point. Because I learned from my mom that this pen was the only pen my grandmother would write with – she got it as a present from her husband who had died suddenly – my grandfather I never knew. And somewhat unexpectedly the memories began to pour forth.

This is the pen my grandmother used to sign the checks that helped pay for my independent school –

I have no doubt many of you in this room help in that way - I find that extraordinary, and I want to thank you.

This is the pen she was holding when she explained to me why she gave to her college’s annual fund, and why she thought it important that she do the same for my high school. You see, her principal had told her she could be anything she wanted as long as it was a nurse. But she wanted to be a writer, and she was forever grateful to Mount Holyoke, who she felt took a chance on her. So she gave to Mount Holyoke, and she gave to my schools.

Again, I know many of you contribute in this way - and I find extraordinary, and I want to thank you.

And this is the pen she used to write me all those letters when she knew I needed encouragement. She wrote chatty updates, and was endlessly fascinated about the details of the weather on cape cod. I didn’t save a single one of her letters - and I know there were dozens and dozens and dozens – but I have the pen she used to write each one.

But what I really have, is the feeling of someone who cared for me, who believed in me, who took the time to tell me stories about family, and about what it means to be a good person. I have those just as much as I have her pen right now.

I’ll leave you with these closing thoughts –

Before fountain pens there were quill pens.

And after fountain pens came ball point pens.

And after ball point pens there are – what did the New York Times call them? – “smart pens” - that talk back to you.

And I want to remind that the technology will continue to change, but what you did today is timeless. What you did today matters.

Because whether you are a volunteer, or faculty and staff, today you inspired bright motivated people of many ages.

Because you adults - You spent time with your grandchild, family member or special friends.

Because you students - You spent time with your grandparent, your family member or special friend.

The technology will come and go - but today for a few hours we did something that lasts. We spent time together learning, laughing and enjoying each other.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for your support, for sharing your time and your hearts with each other in this remarkable school.

And finally I would ask that you consider picking up a pen – whether it talks back to you or not – and writing a note of gratitude to someone you spent time with today.

The person you write to might not save the note, but they’ll remember how you made them feel for a long, long time.

Now it is my pleasure to introduce our concert choir.

Ready, Set, Return

August 21^st 2010

Dear Derryfield School Parents,

I write this letter on a cool morning after a hot summer, and that change alone helps make the transition to the welcome routine of our school.

Last week many of our upper school student athletes began to practice fall sports on campus. This upcoming week the faculty and staff reassemble, furthering a climate of New Years celebration. We all look forward to you and your children returning the following week. With an enrollment of 381 students, our school remains full, vibrant and very strong.

We have had a very productive summer, leaving me with the joyful challenge of describing some of the highlights. Before brief introductions of our new people, your awareness of and participation in the themes of the year will enhance our school-parent partnership, and help us to be our best. The themes are three-fold, as follows –

1. Our Core Value Exploration: Derryfield uses six core values to further our mission, and we “deep dive” into two of them each year as a way to deepen our learning, and keep our mission vital. This year we will lift up Character and Community, which we define as follows –

Character: We actively cultivate respect, integrity, compassion, and perseverance in our community members.

Community: We seek a diverse community defined and sustained by close relationships, social interdependence, and service.

This will play-out in the lives of your children, for example, at a Parent-Teacher conference where your child will be asked to reflect on what they have learned about these values. Beginning these discussions at home, and encouraging them along the way, helps our partnership.

2. NEASC: As an independent school, Derryfield gets re-accredited every 10 years by NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges). The ambitious re-accrediting process begins with a year of school-initiated self-study further to 13 Standards that NEASC prescribes (Ex. “Mission: There is a congruence between the school’s stated mission and core values and its actual program, policies, planning and decision-making at both the operational and governance levels” or “Communication: The school maintains effective systems of external and internal communications and record keeping that inform all constituents and facilitate participation where appropriate.”). The purpose of the exercise is to encourage reflection in the continual pursuit of independent school improvement. Our faculty and staff have already begun this process and, again, the reflection, learning and planning will be a theme of the year.

When the NEASC Visiting Team arrives in October 2011 I every reason to believe they will embrace an inspiring school, always seeking to improve on behalf of its students.

While the entire community will be engaged in the process it will be led by Mary Carter, our Dean of Faculty and Academic Programs, Dennis Holland, our senior faculty member, and me. At various times we will seek the opinions of you and your child - my hope is that you will take the time to offer your thoughts, knowing that they will help chart our course.

3. The Gateway Building: We are moving ahead with our plans to replace The Art House (the present Admission house that fronts River Road) with a lovely, functional, energy-efficient building that provides an inspiring first impression to those visiting our campus. The new building, placed on the same site, will reflect our values by enhancing the space for our Breakthrough program, provide enhanced teaching and learning space, and allow for more efficient space for administrators – in particular, our Admission and Advancement offices.

Constructing The Gateway Building will be a theme for the year. The related, transient inconveniences (you will be astonished at the way we have absorbed all the people and office space from that building into our campus) allow our community an opportunity to model cheerful problem-solving, made easier by the knowledge that the short-term challenges are more than worth the improvement to our school.

While every major project has some unanticipated speed-bumps, we have assembled an exceptional team of professionals including Lavallee Brensinger (architects) and ProCon Construction (construction managers) to deliver the project. We expect demolition to be in late October, and construction to begin shortly thereafter. I expect we will begin using The Gateway Building next (2011-2012) school year – therefore, we will also spend a portion of this year considering the detail of how students, faculty and others will use the new 8,000 s/f space.

The enclosed rendering gives you a sense of the front (River Road side) of the building – respectful of the neighborhood, appropriate in scale, and simple in design. From visiting 5^th graders and their parents to returning alumni, the impression will be warm and inviting. From the ravine side, the building will be bold, engaging and dynamic. You can imagine the excitement in designing a building that furthers our excellence, and I look forward to keeping you advised during the year.

Our fundraising efforts gathered momentum over the summer when we received notice from The Community Development Financing Authority (“CDFA”) that our application for $450,000 in support of The Gateway Building had been approved. On the heels of a successful annual fund, fundraising success is breeding fundraising success.

Finally, you should know that I recently wrote 57 of our neighbors and “abutters” inviting them to campus next week to hear about our construction plans. Using the same respectful process of communication from constructing the Turf Field and installing the lights on it, we remain determined to be good neighbors and community members throughout the process.

Moving from our three themes for the year, I’ll introduce our new people –

• David Barragan comes to us from Westminster School and he has extensive experience teaching Spanish in boarding schools. He and his wife Kristen (also a Spanish teacher) lived in Ecuador for five years and have two sons, including Zach who will join us in 9^th grade this year.

• Steve Batchelder will work part-time in our technology department primarily serving faculty with their classroom technology equipment, thereby enhancing our ability to serve students.

·      Allison Keough is a Vista Volunteer (an AmeriCorp program that places college graduates in 

non-profit organizations for a year of service).  She will spend half her time on service learning, and 

half her time with Breakthrough.  Allison is a 2010 graduate from Marquette University with a 

degree in English writing.

• David Lewine will be teaching chemistry and technology, and coaching robotics teams for the MS & US. He will also be leading our Tech Lead teachers. David, his wife and two daughters moved to Hopkinton from the New York area.

• Chris McNeil returns to Derryfield after three years. He has been traveling the country performing freestyle motorcycle shows for BMW. His responsibilities will include teaching Latin in the upper and middle schools, and coaching assistant varsity basketball.

·      Annette Peters is our new Human Resources Manager.  Her HR duties include administering benefits,

 payroll, recruitment, and a variety of related responsibilities.   She lives in Francestown, NH.

• Ying Xia Peterson will teach every level of Chinese, and lead a MS & US activity group. She has two children, and her youngest is off to college this year.

A few other changes, also in the realm of personnel:

Derryfield has two key administrators pursuing their Ph.D’s, and both of them will be at school four days a week. Mary Carter (whom I referenced above), will be present Tues-Friday, and Brent Powell (our Upper School Division Head) will be on campus Mon-Thursday. I am so pleased we will get the benefit of their commitment, intelligence and leadership as they pursue their education.

You should also know that over the summer we had a planned-for change in the leadership of our Board of Trustees. David Lockwood, our new Chair of the Board of Trustees, has succeeded Steve Burke, who so skillfully served our Board for more than ten years. Not unlike our ability to attract great teachers and administrators, Derryfield continues to have extraordinary volunteer leadership – from the Parent-Faculty Association through class parents to our Board, we have an exceptional group of people helping us to deliver our mission. David is both a past and current parent, and he brings substantial experience on school boards to his role.

A final thought: while the last days of summer call you may battle an occasional sense of being overwhelmed with the communication that begins to pour forth from our school. My exhortation: stick with it. Give it the time. From our re-designed website to the professionals in place to serve you, you will find that we have a lot to communicate about our passion for educating your children. At the same time, our message is clear and coordinated – The Derryfield School inspires bright, motivated young people.

We look forward to your return.

Sincerely,

Craig N. Sellers

Head of School

PS – A brief reminder about the Clough State Park Triathlon on September 11^th. The relatively modest distances of 250 yard swim, followed by a 4 mile bike and 1 mile run could be a great introduction for your child. Registration for the event closes September 3^rd. Check out http://www.concordymca.org/index.php?page=13th-annual-triathlon.

Commencement 2010

Chairman Burke, Reverend Bagley, Tom Curley, Members of The Derryfield Board of Trustees, Esteemed Faculty & Staff, Derryfield Alumni . . . Parents, Grandparents and Family members of the class of 2010, and most importantly, our guests of honor, The Members of the Class of 2010, it is my pleasure to Greet all of you on this wonderful occasion of our 43^rd commencement ceremony. Thank you all for being here – and to those to my left, we are particularly glad you are here.

Last year I asked the graduating class “What makes a good graduation speech?” Their resounding, instant answer - “Short, Mr. Sellers. Short.” I did not even ask the Class of 2010, because, well, that is the kind of question most Heads of School only have to ask once.

Still, I have the privilege of sharing my thoughts with you on this glorious day, and I thought I would take a moment to do just that.

Whenever I travel I make it a point to spend time with at least one school in the area. I love to eat the local food, listen to the local music . . . but I particularly like to see how the young people in that area are educated. Over the years I have developed a kind of short-hand – boiling my inquiry down to just a few questions. But listening to the response gave me a window – and often a door - in to the culture of the school.

I have come to think that If there is a single question that provides a path to understanding what a school is really about, I think it is “What does your school celebrate?”

What do we celebrate at Derryfield?

I want to offer this question this morning like the ringing of an opening bell that I hope will echo throughout this extraordinary day – What does Derryfield celebrate?

Here’s my simple answer: the people in this room at Graduation.

First, the Faculty – since our founding the Derryfield school has had an uncommon understanding that what breathes life into our mission are consummate professionals who are passionate about learning and achieving, and who want to share that passion with young people. The faculty make our school sing, make our school inspiring, make our school a place where young people want to come and be their best. We celebrate our faculty at a time like this because the proof of your work is right here.

Next: our friends and families. I came to Derryfield in part because the culture welcomed families, and made me think “that school gets it.” Families have their children 16 hours a day. We have them 8 – of course we have to work together to on behalf of your children – our students.” Of course we should build a culture where friends & family ties are celebrated. It only makes sense” – well, you might be surprised how many schools don’t see it that way.

Additionally, the level of volunteerism and support that pours forth from the friends and families in this room is truly astonishing. Many families have made all kinds of sacrifices to have your children be at our school, and in particular, be on this stage right now. That is truly worth celebrating.

Most importantly – the young people to my left. You may hear it many times today, so let me be the first: You are the reason for the day. You are the reason for this moment. You give us cause to celebrate. If someone said to me “Tell me about Derryfield – tell me what you celebrate” – I would respond “Come to graduation. You will see - We celebrate students.”

I would expect that a visitor from any town, from any culture, who was here today to understand that We are deeply proud of you, both what you have accomplished, and how you have accomplished it. Your achievements in academics, in the arts and athletics, have been nothing short of extraordinary. The friendships you have developed here are genuine and, no doubt, long lasting. The service you have performed has helped countless people, and the goodwill you have generated will continue to echo in our local and global communities. You have inspired each other, your teachers and your friends and families, and you have done it with style and grace.

It really is an honor to say, Class of 2010, you are the reason for the celebration at The Derryfield School. You are the reason we are here today. And so I will end my opening remarks by saying – this time, just to our graduates – thank you for being here.

Awards Day 2010

May 28^th 2010

We are here today to honor the extraordinary accomplishments of many, many of our students. And when we gather in these ceremonial occasions we take a moment to honor the mission, the values, and the philosophies that got us here to this lovely auditorium filled with bright, motivated teachers, faculty, students and parents.

Specifically, our Statement of Philosophy on Awards provides the framework for our time together in the same way it guided the faculty in selecting the recipients. Quoting from the Statement now: “The granting of awards at Derryfield should inspire our students to be their best, reinforce the school’s core values, and provide learning opportunities for both award winners and those who did not win.”

It goes on, but I’ll summarize – we seek to reward individual students for living the school’s values while acknowledging that everyone whose name is called today has a village of supportive family, teachers and friends who helped to get them to this place and time.

Because I think this philosophy does such a good job of capturing an essential truth about our school, I want to begin with gratitude - reflecting on our own village - and saying simply “thank you – we could not be here without you.”

Thank you, Mrs. Flagg and Mrs. Keefe-Hancock for the way you have shaped this gathering with attention to detail and caring for everyone involved. Thank you.

To the parents who are here today – thank you. Many of you, as I understand it, are here with a certain mystery in the air. Welcome - You honor us with your presence, and you illustrate our belief that our school is at its best when we collaborate on this exploration called education. And besides, the world needs a little more fun-filled mysteries with happy endings.

To the faculty and staff – you have created an environment where students seek to excel, where it is cool to be smart, and then proceed to the field, the stage or out into the community and continue that level of excellence. I have observed in the past that we don’t really have a similar awards day for faculty & staff, but I believe that for every award presented today a Derryfield faculty or staff member – more likely, several – took a chance on a shy student, stood by a struggling student, or supported a student in a time of need. The students we will hear about today are award worthy in part because of the extraordinary effort, intelligence and compassion of the adults in the Derryfield community.

I want to make sure to give everyone here today an opportunity to say thank you to the faculty and staff at Derryfield who inspired you, and to ask our students to join me in leading that thank you. Thank you, Derryfield faculty & staff.

Finally, to our students – I may risk losing a few of you with this description, which is certainly not my intention - but this is the kind of fun you can have when you are Head of School . . .

Did you see Rajon Rondo dive for that ball in game 3 (I am not talking about game 4 or 5)? In many ways I think that is the kind of performance we are here to honor today. In a group of 10 gifted people on the floor, Rondo’s extra effort made the difference between really good, and something truly outstanding.

And then, did you see what that effort did for his team? The whole team – I think the whole Garden, really - rose-up to a new level and played with a kind of heart and intensity that was nothing short of exceptional.

I think that feeling – that reminder of what exceptional looks like – is what Awards Day does for our community. So I want to thank you for diving for that ball, singing beautifully when it did not come easy, serving others when you may have had other things on your mind, studying for that test when you got back late from practice. I know you have learned a lot along the way. What I want you, our students, to be certain of is that you inspired us – your teachers, parents, and friends – and that your extra effort has lifted up our entire school to a new level of what it means to be a joyful community celebrating accomplishments with each other.

Thank you.

Founders Day 2010

The following are my opening remarks to this year's Founders Day. I will never forget
extraordinary singing from our concert choir at the end of the program. Andrew Cox '10
rearranged "Sing Out for Derryfield" and the entire auditorium discovered the song all
again - it was exceptional.

I have the honor of Welcoming everyone to Founders Day. My name is Craig Sellers,
I am the Head of School of The Derryfield School, and we all have the honor of being
in the same room with some very, very important people today. Welcome to faculty,
staff, students, parents and alumni – I think we will have an inspiring morning together.

On behalf of the entire Derryfield School, I want to extend a warm, grateful and
genuine welcome to those who are the Founders of our School. We look forward to
thanking you, to applauding your presence, but before we do that the History teacher
in me says that first I should briefly create some context:

In the early 1960's some local parents started meeting in Manchester and Bedford homes, talking about the dream of starting an independent college preparatory, day school. They had a vision, and that was a desire to have an extraordinary education for their children, and still have their children come home at night to have dinner, talk about the day, and go to sleep under one roof. This timeless idea led to convincing 39 families to contribute $1000 each (a lot of money then) so that the Head of the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul's School, Philip Hugny, could be hired and set up in a tiny office to plan a school. During that time, 1963 & 1964, the Founders recruited students, rented buildings, talked with parents, and a myriad of other details that became the future of our school.


The school opened in 1965 with 108 students and 11 faculty. The basic building on River Road was built and opened in 1967.


Our Founders – our Jeffersons, our Franklins, our amongst us today. Each had an integral role – take one away in those early days, and we might not be here. Change one significant decision, and we may have gone off in a different direction. Each had a determination to work against the odds for something timeless, something inspiring, something that ultimately became the Derryfield School.

I look forward to this day in part because the Founders remind us about the power of a
great idea. The vision of combining profoundly talented faculty, eager students and a
culture of respect – all while having our children home for dinner at night – well, that
is simply a timeless and powerful. As much as the world has changed since the
early 1960s, as much as the pace of change is likely to do nothing but accelerate, our
school was conceived with timeless ideals in mind.

One of the many habits that I admire about our school is that we set this day aside each year
to remind us of that eternal vision, and to let us express our gratitude to you.

I would like the following Founders to stand at this time so that we can applaud you and thank you

· Ann Feins
· Hilda Fleisher
· Ellie Freedman
· David Stahl
· Dick and Fran Winneg