From the Desk of the Head of School- March 5, 2021

Dear Parents,

As we inch ever closer to Spring Break, here at Harding Academy we are beginning to think in earnest about next school year. We are hopeful that next school year brings us back to some semblance of normalcy as it relates to the daily experience here at school, but we won’t really know until we get further into the late spring and summer. However, with the launch of the strategic plan, Embracing the Future at Harding Academy, we are excited to be planning towards the beginning of a couple of initiatives to help us achieve the goals of the plan. 

First, over the course of this school year, our capacity to reimagine our work against the constraints of time and space has accelerated our desire to see what our schedule looks like in the new normal of teaching and learning in elementary and middle school grades. To that end, we have again partnered with Leadership + Design and Ryan Burke to engage in a year long study which will eventually offer a new PreK - 8 schedule. We will be engaging in surveys, small group meetings, empathy interviews, and more across the varied constituencies of Harding Academy in order to gain an understanding of the opportunities afforded by a reimagination of time at school. Our goal would be to announce the new schedule in January/February 2022 for implementation beginning in the fall of 2023. 

Second, we have launched a nationwide search for a new senior administrative position, the Director of Community Engagement, which will serve on the Leadership Team of the school and help us frame the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Harding Academy, while leveraging their expertise to further amplify our leadership and community engagement programming at the school. We have convened a search committee and hope to meet the finalists (likely virtually) before the end of the school year so this person can begin in their position on July 1, 2021. 

Lastly, we continue to work hard towards the vision of a new Arts and Athletics Center, which will replace the Schwartz Center. There is perhaps no better moment in the history of the school to be working towards this ambitious goal than now - a moment where we see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of being together once more. This space is more than a new gym and new auditorium - it represents the manifestation of our whole child approach to education in the heart of our campus. It is where our students learn habits of wellness, fitness, self-discipline, and self confidence. It is where we come together to clap and cheer, to sing and debate, to recite and congratulate. We welcome the opportunity to have a conversation with you and your family about this project. 

Have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe and healthy.
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