One of my favorite things about schools is their cyclical nature. Each year, there are specific moments and milestones, signposts that mark beginnings, endings, and myriad important moments in between. Traditions and rituals develop around these milestones, providing us a connection with the past, a grounding in the present, and a sense of possibility and hope for the future.
The first day of school is, of course, one of those moments. Over the past decade, Facebook and Instagram posts have provided a poignant way to capture the start of the year and to track a child’s growth as they transition from the first day of JK or Kindergarten to the first day of 3rd grade to the first day of 8th grade, to the first day of high school and beyond. For me, those photos always generate a range of feelings and emotions, a tickle in my stomach, a reminder of my own first days of school as a child, and a complex mix of pride, joy, and, yes, a bit of sadness that I experience looking at my own children as they grow up through the years. Given the communal nature of Facebook and Instagram, we get glimpses into the lives of children across the country and world, at all different ages and stages.
Thinking about community always makes me think of Flag. Former Hillbrook Head of School Robin Clements, who served Hillbrook from 1975-1998, often said that more than anything he wanted each child to know and feel that they were seen by him and by the other adults in our community. Flag, throughout our school’s history, has served as one place where that happens. For decades, Flag has brought our community together to share announcements, celebrate birthdays, honor achievements, and, of course, tell jokes. While the specific things we do at Flag matter, the bigger significance is in being together, seeing each other and being seen.
Over the past 18 months, we shifted Flag to a virtual space. Teacher and Student Council (STUCO) coordinator Clara Ngo, Director of Technology Bill Selak, and Executive Assistant Christine Thorpe performed herculean work keeping the tradition alive. They, along with the Director of the Scott Center Annie Makela, Director of DEI Gulliver LaValle, and numerous students, designed and developed new segments and content that strengthened Flag and kept us connected.
Next week, we will hold our first Flag of the 2021-22 school year. What can you expect from Flag, 2021-22 style?
First, we have moved Flag to Fridays. As Flag has become increasingly student led, we realized that providing students time to design and prepare during the week was important. Friday Flag will serve as a capstone to the week, an opportunity to celebrate and highlight things that have happened. In addition, by moving Flag from Monday to Friday, we will be able to start each week with homeroom/advisory, creating a less frenetic start to the week and allowing teachers an opportunity to connect with children in a small group setting to establish a tone for the week.
Another change is temporary and reflects our continuing efforts to balance COVID protocols with our desire to provide in-person opportunities whenever possible. We will be using a hybrid model for Flag that allows us to have approximately half of our community at Flag each week. We are calling it “Buddy Flag,” with a mix of Lower School and Middle School students each week based on Buddy groupings (another one of our longstanding and beloved traditions). We will have two groups divided as follows:
Bears: 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th
Owls: JK, K, 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th
Flag will be scheduled to start a little after 8 am each Friday. For the students and families who are not in attendance, we will be live-streaming the experience. Families of children who are at in-person Flag will be welcome to join us on campus. We will set up check-in tables for parents to confirm that they have submitted their vaccination card to the school. And, let’s be clear, we look forward to a time later this year when we will be able to resume a full, in-person Flag for the entire community.
Wednesday morning, we will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of your child to school. Like I have for decades, I will be waiting to greet children, with a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement. Yes, even after all of these years, I get a little nervous. I will undoubtedly marvel at how much children have grown over the summer, and I will be ready, along with our extraordinary team of teachers and staff, to greet all children, and particularly new children, with a smile and, if necessary, a reassuring hand.
Just a few days later, I will join the Bears in the amphitheater for the first time in more than 18 months to host Flag. Happy Birthday will be sung, STUCO and others will share announcements and other programming, and, yes, jokes will be told.
Round up the uniforms and get your cameras ready, Hillbrook. We are back!
Warmly,
Mark Silver
Head of School