The Seeds We Plant

Recently, our school came together for an all-school chapel followed by a day of service. Students heard from local nonprofit partners and then stepped into that work in tangible ways: assembling appreciation bags for members of law enforcement, creating self-care kits and coloring Bible verses for our unhoused neighbors through The Field’s Edge, and making bookmarks for children at Rays of Hope.

One of the most meaningful parts of the day was watching students work in their Corral Pal groups. There is something powerful about seeing a mix of ages come together with a shared purpose.

As the Head of Preschool, my days are spent with our youngest learners, students who are just beginning to understand what it means to be part of a community, to take turns, to help a friend, to notice when someone needs support. These are small beginnings, but they matter.

That is what made this day stand out.

I had the opportunity to watch our middle and upper school students step into those same ideas in a much bigger way. Supporting younger students is not always easy, and yet there was patience, encouragement, and a steady presence that made a difference. You could see it in the way the younger students responded, how they looked up to them, how eager they were to be included, how proud they felt to be part of something alongside the “big kids.”

For our middle and upper school students and families, I hope this day serves as a reminder that the things we begin in the earliest years do not stay small. They grow. The way our older students showed up for their Corral Pals reflects habits of care, responsibility, and awareness that started long ago and continue to take shape.

And just as importantly, the example they set now becomes part of what our youngest students are learning. They are watching. They are noticing. They are beginning to understand what it looks like to belong to a community that cares for others.

Days like this remind us that growth is not just academic. It is found in the way students learn to see beyond themselves, to support one another, and to step into something larger than their own experience.

Megan Irwin, Head of Preschool