By Suzanne Gorman, Head of Downtown Campus
A huge thank-you to all the dozens of students and parents who came to help out at our Open House this past Monday night! We had nearly 50 prospective families in attendance, and it was a vibrant, energetic evening. One parent volunteer sent an email afterward with this comment: “One thing I’m always reminded of when I do open house, and was especially reminded of last night, is how incredible our faculty is. I’m sure there are good teachers in every school, but the quality of our faculty really stands out on a night like last night. I think as parents we sometimes take for granted how truly different and special they are.”
I second that! As many of you know, I have a child in the High School myself, and another headed here next year. But I began working at St. Francis before either of them were even born and had been here 16 years before I became a High School parent. Experiencing over these past few years the magic of the faculty in this building from a parent perspective, and seeing the changes and growth in my own child that I’ve been talking to other parents about for years, is a profound experience for which I’m incredibly grateful. I love Open House because it’s a chance to throw wide our doors and invite the community in to learn about the extraordinary experience that is a St. Francis education.
The other best thing about this week is that some of our students got to vote for the first time. St. Francis students have a history of civic and political involvement and activism, but most of them in any given year are too young to vote. I am excited and proud that the ones who could, did. When we teach them United States history and when we listen to their various opinions about the state of the world today, the message ultimately is the same: Always exercise your right to vote!