Of Songs, Family, and Journeys . . . and Farewell

I am writing this to you on my last official day as Head of West Chester Friends School.  Yesterday I passed my set of keys on to Lynn Oberfield, who will be Interim Head of School for the coming year.  I am thrilled that Lynn has accepted this role, and know that she will serve our school with wisdom and compassion.

Being Head of School is a job that I truly love, and I am grateful to have had the honor of serving in this capacity at West Chester Friends School for the past twelve years.  Two aspects of my job that I particularly enjoy are when I have the opportunity to write and speak – especially when doing so involves reflecting upon the shared experiences of our school community.  As I have approached the end of my time at WCFS, I have done quite a bit of reflecting upon my experiences over the past twelve years.  I had the chance to speak about them at the party that was held for my family and me (with many thanks to those of you who attended!), and am pleased to repeat them here. 

(Side note: It is interesting to me that when I began at the school a letter like this would have been printed, copied, and sent through the mail.  While some letters still go out that way, today’s default is to send by email and post on the blog.  I suppose that’s one way to measure the passing of twelve years!)

 

Of Songs, Family, and Journeys

My West Chester Friends School experience began with a song.  My very first day on campus, when interviewing for the position, included a meeting with Teacher Gerri’s fifth grade class who had carefully prepared questions to ask me.  Teacher John Scardina was in the room as a member of the search committee and suggested that they begin by singing “Circle of Friends” for me.  I happened to be familiar with the song and sang along.   The expression on John’s face revealed that he was both surprised and impressed.  No matter how qualified I may or may not have been for the job, I like to joke, the fact that I already knew “Circle of Friends” had sealed the deal!

I am fond of saying that “this is a school that sings.”  Singing has long been a part of the school’s culture, and it is even more so today than when I began.  I am proud of that fact.  The expression can be taken literally.  We sing every Monday morning at Gathering.  The monthly Meeting for Singing is a new tradition which many believe is perhaps the most beautiful illustration of the spirit of our school.  Commencement exercises include four times as many songs as they did twelve years ago.  “A school that sings” is also a metaphor.  The harmony that comes from teachers working together and the joyful buzz that emanates from the classrooms and across the school yard are all made possible through many voices figuratively joining together in song.  And, as we all know from having tunes stuck in our heads, good songs stay with us.

We often refer to WCFS as a community.  For my family, that sense of community has special meaning.  When we arrived in West Chester, my wife Melinda was pregnant with our first child.  Being the daughter of two teachers, Ellie dutifully arrived on the first day of school.  From that day forward, my experience as Head of School was intertwined with our experience as parents.  When, four years later, Ellie entered pre-kindergarten (to be followed by her brothers, James and William), I had the great fortune to see the work of our teachers not just through the eyes of a proud boss, but also through the eyes of an appreciative parent.  Melinda and I will be forever grateful to the entire faculty, staff, and administration for the incomparable learning experiences they provided our three children, and for the love and care that they so freely shared with them – and with us.

Journeys can be exciting and sad, all at the same time.  As my daughter recently pointed out, we never know as much about where we are going as we do about what we are leaving behind.  And this brings me back to songs.  Good songs stay with us.

The WCFS experience is a song.  Those of us who leave – whether we've graduated or retired or are moving on to a new school – take the song with us wherever we go.

Our family's journey here began with a song when this “Circle of Friends” opened to welcome us in.  Twelve years later, some new songs have been added to the school’s repertoire.  One of my new favorites is “River,” in which the singer is taken along on a river's journey from the mountains “down to the sea.”  During our last Meeting for Singing of the year, I paid greater attention to the lyrics than I had before and, to use a Quaker expression, found that they “spoke to my condition.”

I've been to the city & back again

I've been moved by some things that I've learned

Met a lot of good people & I called them friends

Felt the change when the seasons turned

So here's to the rainbow that followed me here

And here's to the friends that I know

And here's to the song that's within me now

I will sing it where'er I go

In peace and friendship, farewell!

("River" by Bill Staines, copyright Mineral River Music)