Week of October 31, 2011
From the Head of School
Last week, I wrote about a talk that I heard by Dr. Rush Kidder concerning the five values that make up an ethical person: honesty, responsibility, respect, fairness, and compassion. I mentioned that I believe our students, for the most part, do a great job of reflecting these values, and this is particularly true when they’re choosing on the “right versus wrong” continuum. The biggest challenge, therefore, is not helping them choose between right and wrong…they get that. Rather, it’s helping them choose between “right and right.”
What do we do when responsibility conflicts with compassion…a theme played out daily by judges in the courts or by bankers deciding whether or not to foreclose on a family’s home? Or what’s the appropriate thing to do when honesty conflicts with respect? Should you tell Grandma that she looks great in that ridiculous hat? (Side note: the answer is “yes!”). Dr. Kidder suggests that all right versus right conflicts follow four broad patterns: individual versus community, truth versus loyalty, short-term versus long-term, and justice versus mercy. Not surprisingly, all four of these types of conflicts play out regularly at the Academy.
A couple of examples of the “individual versus community” are, “should we ask her to join our study group, even though we know she’ll probably slow us down,” or “should I turn my classmate in for cheating? I know she’s violated the honor code before…and the community standard demands that she be sent home…but I also know that her home situation is so awful that if she leaves the Academy she’ll be lost.”
When it comes to “truth versus loyalty,” what do you do when your best friend is not chosen to participate in something, but you are. Do you come back and honestly tell her how wonderful the experience was, or do you downplay it out of loyalty? Or on a more consequential note, what do you do when a friend confides in you that she’s doing something that may be harmful to her own well-being. If you’re concerned about her health, do you break the confidence and tell someone in authority, or do you keep your word that you won’t say anything?
Academy girls are also constantly choosing between the “short and long term.” Indeed, the very fact that our students have chosen to come to this school, rather than a less challenging environment, is a nod in the “long-term” direction. Of course, there’s also the daily decisions such as, “should I go to the dance this weekend, or get a jump start on the paper that’s due in two weeks?”
And finally, when it comes to “justice and mercy” our girls on the Honor Cabinet, the prefects, team captains, and others in leadership positions are often faced with decisions where justice and mercy are in conflict. They have a responsibility to respect the code and administer justice fairly, but they’re also compassionate and have a desire to show mercy. They look for ways to balance these competing values, and the decisions are never easy.
All of these competing values set up opportunities to learn the skills that will help our girls successfully navigate their futures. Indeed, as nerve wracking and frustrating as these sorts of decisions can be for our students, they are the types of choices they’ll be forced to make the rest of their lives. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no better place to practice making them than right here, at the Academy. No better place!
Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Karl Sjolund
Announcements/Upcoming Events
- On Saturday, Mike Satterfield, Kimberly Herring, and Brianna Smale, will be taking a group of students to a huge mixer at The Blue Ridge School in St. George, VA. There will be eight schools attending this fun event. This is an overnight trip and the Academy students will be spending the night at Virginia Episcopal School. The buses will leave Saturday at 12:30pm and will return Sunday at 1:45pm.
- Host a Student for Thanksgiving Break: We have several international students that may need a place to stay over Thanksgiving vacation. If anyone would be interested in hosting one of these students, please get in touch with Miss Thompson.
Thanksgiving Travel Information from Miss T
Dear Parents,
We have a vacation period coming up, and it is important that we have information about your daughter’s travel plans. Please complete this form and return it to me as soon as possible.
The Thanksgiving vacation begins at 3:15 pm (after ninth period) on Friday, November 18. Boarders should return to the Academy by 9:00 pm on Monday, November 28.
Because of the travel congestion on the Thanksgiving weekend, we have extended our holiday through Monday, November 28. We hope that the delayed return will facilitate you in making travel arrangements. Please make public transportation arrangements so that your daughter will arrive by 9:00 pm on Monday. We have scheduled the Thanksgiving holiday to be a long break, so please do not ask for students to be excused from classes on Friday, November 18 or Tuesday, November 29. Absences before and after a vacation period are unexcused.
The Academy will be completely closed during this vacation period. Students should leave by 10:00 am on Saturday November 19 and return after 11:00 am on November 28. Students may not return on Sunday, November 27.
Thank you very much and we wish you all a pleasant Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Mary Lorick Thompson
Assistant Head/Dean of Students
marylorick.thompson@salem.edu
Academy Theatre Presents "The Mousetrap"
Salem Academy’s theatre program presents Agatha Christie’s timeless mystery, The Mousetrap, Nov. 10-13 in the Drama Workshop at Salem Fine Arts Center. The classic whodunit features a surprise ending with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Show times are 7:30 p.m., Nov. 10-12 and 2 p.m., Nov. 13. Admission is free and the show is open to the public. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance.
Students Volunteer with Humane Society
Salem Academy Forsyth Humane Society volunteers Alex Reyes, Mary Beth Browne, Kayla Hill, and Catherine Ward assisted Ms. Markham with the Children’s Museum “Truck or Treat” event on October 30th. The girls helped the Humane Society by manning the FHS truck ROVER (Regional Outreach Vehicle for Education and Rescue) by assisting dozens of children and their parents in meeting the rescue animals aboard, running games, and handing out educational materials during the event.
Alex Reyes Mary Beth Browne
Kayla Hill
Annual Halloween Carnival Featured in The Chronicle
Salem Academy's annual halloween carnival was featured in The Chronicle this week. Special thanks to Jennifer Handy, Communications and Social Media Manager for Salem Academy and College, for working with the reporter to get such a great story and great pictures published!
Please CLICK HERE to read the full article. It begins on page B1 and continues on B7.
Jan Term Class Offerings (for 9th and 10th graders)
Freshmen and sophomores have received the list of Jan Term classes being offered this year, and on Wednesday, November 9th, your 9th and 10th grade daughters will register their preferences for classes with their advisors. CLICK HERE to see a list of the Jan Term class offerings for this year.
First Issue of School Newspaper Grassroots
The student-run school newspaper has just published their first issue of the school year. Please CLICK HERE to read Grassroots. Good job to all the writers in this issue!
DADS (Discussions Around Daughters)
All Salem dads are invited to the next DADs meeting, which will be on Monday, November 14th. Dads are welcome to join us for dinner at 6:00 p.m. in the dining hall, and then the meeting will be from 6:30-7:30 in the Academy Faculty Lounge. The topic will be "The Life of the 21st Century Teenager." Our mental health counselor, Miss Jenny Orr, will talk to the group about some of the key issues that teenage girls are facing these days. All fathers of Salem Academy students are welcome."
Salem DADs Meeting Schedule 2011-2012
(dates and times TBA)
September - Park Clean Up
October - Kelen Walker (Salem Students & College)
November 14th - Jenny Orr (Salem Students and Stress)
December - No Meeting
January - No Meeting
February - Dad & Daughter Valentine Dinner
March - Mary Lorick Thompson (Salem Traditions)
April - Outdoor event (biking, hiking, etc.)
Shop at Food Lion and Earn Money for Salem
Dear Parents, Faculty and Friends,
Thank you for supporting our school through the Food Lion MVP Rewards program.
Salem Academy is participating in the new Food Lion Classroom Rewards program to earn much needed funding for our school. We need your help and support to maximize our fundraising effort. We are encouraging you to shop at your local Food Lion store and every time you shop, Salem Academy will earn a share of the program funds donated by Food Lion based on what you purchase.
If you haven’t already linked your MVP Card to support our school, please follow the steps below.
1. Go to www.foodlion.com
2. Click on Community Outreach
3. Click on MVP Rewards
4. Click Register your MVP Card
5. Click on the arrow that says, “Shoppers register here”
Once on the MVP Shopper Registration page, enter your MVP Card number (all 12 digits), your contact information and link it to our school. Our code is 214297.
Purchases of only the following brands will help earn cash for our school: Food Lion Brand, Healthy Accents, Home 360, Nature’s Place, On the Go Bistro, Smart Option, Taste of Inspirations, Butchers Brand Beef and Holly Farms Poultry.
Help our school earn even more by shopping on double points day! All Food Lion brand product purchases will receive double credit on the 10th of each month.
For more information on how you can help, please contact:Megan RatleySalem AcademyPhone: 336-721-2664Email address: megan.ratley@salem.edu
Food Lion is a banner of Food Lion LLC, a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG).
Link Your Harris Teeter VIC Card and Support Salem
Beginning August 1, Salem Academy proudly continued in Harris Teeter's Together In Education program to help raise funds for our school. It's easy and it's FREE. Simply give the cashier our code, 5509, and your VIC card when you check out and your card will be linked for the entire school year. That's it! You only have to link your VIC card once each school year. Once your card is linked, Salem Academy will receive a percentage of your Harris Teeter brand (Harris Teeter, Premier Selection, H.T. Traders, Harris Teeter Naturals, Your Pet, Hunter Farms, Highland Crest and More Value) purchases credited back to our account. This program does not interfere with your VIC savings or cost you any money!
For those of you who participated last year, don't forget to re-link your VIC card to our account code next time you are shopping at Harris Teeter!
