The Gifts of a Slow Summer

(above) Head of School Chris Day at this year’s Charles C. Gates Competition, learning about the Traverse Drawer, an invention developed by Jinwoo Ham ’26.

By Christopher D. Day P’12,’13, Head of School

As I write this letter, summertime has made her presence known on The Point, with heavy air, stillness and quiet, and daylight lasting long into the evening. Summer Session has yet to begin, and Cardigan has settled into a different rhythm than when the boys are here during the academic year. The pace for the people who work here through the summer does not slow down, but it does change. Summer allows for long-range work—like shampooing the carpet in Kenly Dining Hall. (The spilled ketchup and other “oops” stains require a lot of elbow grease and a little magic.) Student handbooks and academic plans for next year are also given our focused and undivided attention. In other words, we’re still quite busy!

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This summer, I am looking forward to attending a working retreat with our trustees, staff, and faculty to review and update our Strategic Plan for Cardigan 2032. I often think about Cardigan and what it will look like five years from now, ten years from now, and so on; to have the opportunity to sit in a room and talk about a future Cardigan with smart, creative, diverse, and Cardigan-focused people is really exciting for me. In data-driven/whiteboard/sticky note/easel flip chart rooms this summer, we’ll take the time to collectively define programming, determine the allocation of resources, and shape the points of emphasis for Cardigan for the next several years.

In my eight-year tenure at Cardigan, our strategic plan has always been a North Star in every decision we have made. During discussions with the board of trustees, it is always front and center; and for my colleagues on The Point, the priorities of the plan color everything that we do. Take for instance, one of our stated strategic priorities: “Enhancing programming unique to Cardigan,” which focuses on Gates, PEAKS, and outdoor educational programming. While all of our academic programs are excellent, these three are seen as differentiators. Gates has received a real boost this year with the boundless energy and creativity of new Gates Director Jenny Sabados; she is working on ways to expand access to Gates programming to all grades, not just the sixth and seventh grades. Meanwhile, PEAKS supports the boys’ learning and is always evolving in order to integrate more seamlessly with classroom instruction. We are looking to expand PEAKS’ support of the boys in executive functioning, a skill vitally important in a world full of distractions. Lastly, our outdoor education programming is in the early stages of a growth spurt. This year, Dean of Academics Leo Connally formed a team made up of faculty outdoor enthusiasts whose goal it is to develop outdoor education programming that enhances and complements our current curriculum. These are all folks who have led—or participated in—outdoor education trips and have witnessed the life-altering impact of the natural world—whether it’s overnight backpacking in the White Mountains, whitewater rafting on the Androscoggin River, or learning about the aquatic life in our own Canaan Street Lake. This kind of learning—in which you are using all your senses—will stay with our boys longer than reading about the natural world in a book or viewing it through the limited scope of a video. Opportunities to be in nature and simply observe our surroundings seem to be decreasing as our daily lives are becoming more and more reliant on technology. Cardigan’s Strategic Plan aims to reverse that trend.

This kind of learning—in which you are using all your senses—will stay with our boys longer than reading about the natural world in a book or viewing it through the limited scope of a video. Opportunities to be in nature and simply observe our surroundings seem to be decreasing as our daily lives are becoming more and more reliant on technology. Cardigan’s Strategic Plan aims to reverse that trend.

This is just a small taste of a big strategic plan. Cardigan knows middle school boys (as much as anyone can—they are bedeviling at times!), and we know that in order to best prepare them for their futures in this ever-evolving world, we ourselves need to keep learning and growing as an institution. Boys thrive, challenge themselves, make mistakes, and ultimately figure out who they are at Cardigan. Taking the time as adults to perch and reflect on what will make up this terrain upon which our boys will tread is one of the gifts of the slower pace of summer.