Horace Mann - Spring 2017 - 2

Greetings from Dr. Tom Kelly,
Horace Mann Head of School

Greetings

n today's world of ethical challenge it would be tempting for those of us at Horace Mann School to retreat into
a curriculum of core courses alone. But that has never
been the ethos of Horace Mann School. Ours is a school where
education involves engagement. For generations our graduates have gone on from HM to lives of exploration, in science,
history, literature, the arts and more. HM has also guided many
toward work in pursuit of justice and social change. Avoiding
challenge has never been possible at HM. It is less so in
today's HM community of students, families, faculty members
and staff that represents a microcosm of the larger world.
Our response to our era's rapidly-fluctuating events and
perspectives is to inspire in our students the perceptive
abilities that represent the essence of a comprehensive liberal arts education. Through a curriculum that expands upon
itself, from our Nursery through Upper Division, we introduce
HM students to intellectual inquiry, and nurture their analytical
skills. With this pedagogical imperative goes our dedication
to fostering understanding within our immediate community,
together with societal engagement outside. We pursue these
ideals as educators of the whole student, through HM's enriched academic opportunities and its vibrant communal life.
The attention we pay to preparing each student for a lifetime
of problem solving is reflected in the rigor of our courses.
Among these are advanced math and science studies, and research opportunities. Once students are grounded in humanities requirements we offer such electives as Comparative
Race and Religion, Other Voices in American Fiction, and
Ethics in School and Society that engage critical inquiry.
Our Nursery and Lower Divisions guide our younger
students through important academic milestones. At the
same time we are working to educate these students in essential citizenship skills through our partnership with the Yale
Center for Emotional Intelligence. Social Emotional Learning
is incorporated within our Middle Division curriculum. HM is
particularly proud, this year, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our Center for Community Values and Action (CCVA).
The CCVA, founded at HM, engages every Upper Division student in service learning with dozens of community partners.
Significantly, HM students are empowered to address
their concerns, many of which deeply connect with our era's
issues. In February 2017 over 150 students from 23 schools
participated in a conference on LGBTQ issues convened
by HM students. March 2017 brought our second annual
Wellness Week, with students involved in planning this event
that focused on emotional as well as physical health. This
May, HM will host a student-initiated and organized Muslim
Student Summit for those who identify as Muslim, and allies.

Horace Mann Magazine Spring 2017

Our Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity
(formerly the Office of Diversity) engages HM in essential education on equity, social justice, race, gender, socio-economics,
and identity in each Division, in developmentally-appropriate
ways. The greater HM community of students, faculty, staff
and parents regards as central to the school our Mission
of "mutual respect." The Horace Mann School Parents
Association (HMPA) and its constituent groups demonstrate
their appreciation of this tenet by promoting multicultural
initiatives in their year-round participation in HM school life.
Nothing is more critical to HM's Core Value of "a caring
community" than our students' lived experience. Often
gained outside the classroom-on our stages and playing
fields, in our art studios and gymnasiums, this sense of
community is also experienced intensely by students on
our athletic teams, where they learn lifelong lessons in
cooperation. With over 770 students participating in 78
HM teams, in the Middle through Upper Divisions, athletic
participation provides an important avenue for our school
to celebrate our Mission of "individual achievement and
contributions to the common good."
I enumerate these aspects of HM's academic and communal life to convey how we "prepare a diverse community
of students to lead great and giving lives"-another key
tenet of our school's Mission. Involved as our community is
with today's world, HM is also focused on the future, for it is
our charge to advance our students' educational experiences, and those of future generations of HM students.
Central to our vision for the future is our HM in Motion capital campaign, launched in September 2016. With its goals
of "Inspiring Science; Encouraging Community; promoting
Wellness; and Strengthening Athletics" HM in Motion will
address the educational and community-building priorities
I've described by providing cutting-edge science-teaching
and research facilities, supporting the work of the CCVA,
enhancing our students' experiences in athletics and wellness with a new swimming pool and refurbished gymnasium, and bringing to current and future generations of HM
students a long-needed Campus Center. HM in Motion will
encourage our community to be its very best.
This initiative is detailed in this issue of Horace Mann
Magazine. More information can be found at www.
horacemann.org. As always, I invite you to visit HM, where I
can greet you, and where you can learn more about HM in
Motion and Horace Mann School today.

Dr. Thomas M. Kelly P '18
Head, Horace Mann School

http://www.horacemann.org http://www.horacemann.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Horace Mann - Spring 2017