50 Years of Wood Acres
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of The Wood Acres School, it brings me such pride and joy to serve as the Principal of this amazing place. I am honored to be a part of the front row seat to the learning of these amazing students and to get a 360 degree perspective on what makes Wood Acres the place where I am able to come each day to make a difference for our children, families, and faculty.
I am humbled by that, each day and especially during this milestone year. All of us have been sharing anecdotes about our connections to Wood Acres, the beginnings of Wood Acres, and our feelings about why we love this school. My love for Wood Acres began over ten years ago and together, we all love…
Working on our beautiful outdoor campus that nurtures the learning process with an appreciation and respect for childhood.
Caring, educated faculty who make decisions with administration and each other on what is good for students.
Honoring education and a rigorous curriculum and the process of learning while keeping expectations high.
Recognizing children have the potential to be leaders and providing opportunities like peer mentoring, book buddies, and service to our school and community.
Encouraging students to make mistakes as this is a supportive place and celebrating their successes.
It is essential to know where you have been to know where you are headed. We know where we have been, and like beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss tells us…..we are certainly going places.
As we look forward to the next fifty years and our bright future, it is clear in this busy, and sometimes unsettling time, more than ever the Wood Acres School is relevant and needed. We are excited that you are part of this story. Our future is all of you and your children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Together we will continue this legacy and our ideals. We will share the excitement that is a Wood Acres education. We will deepen connections among ourselves and our community. We will thoughtfully make decisions for the good of our students in these changing times based on what they need to be successful in their future.
When visitors come onto our campus. They smile and look with wide eyes. They instantly see how special it is. They feel part of that excitement that we see everyday.
When alumni proudly visit us, they always share much they miss the beautiful surroundings of Wood Acres and how much they treasure the uniqueness of this experience.
In the words of Dr.
Maya Angelou, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you
did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Wood Acres, you have made all of us feel special.
Today we celebrate fifty years of that legacy and look forward to the next fifty years of students, families, and faculty that will undoubtedly feel special too.