With a long break comes rest and renewal, and as the students and faculty returned to GUS on Tuesday, I was inspired by the energy of this community. One of the reasons I’ve spent twenty-six years in education is how fantastic it feels to be around the unbridled enthusiasm of children every day. Kids are naturally eager, curious, and resilient, even if we have to rouse them from deep slumbers after a long winter’s rest. Once they’re up and running, they stay in motion. “Trust and go forward” takes on new meaning on the day students return from a break. They flood through the doors of school like an unstoppable wave, all laughter and loud voices. I love it!

Winter term in schools is when kids and teachers are most in their strides. Routines have been established, expectations are clear, and notable growth and learning take place. This winter in the GUS greenhouse, an upper school X-Block group are growing herbs and some vegetables. The plants are hardy and growing despite the chill beyond the glass, just like your children. Like those tended plants, GUS kids—under the guidance of fantastic, committed teachers—are reaching for new heights every day as they spring from strong roots. It’s ironic that at a time of year when darkness and cold seem to hold the greatest sway, the greatest growth happens.

In the coming weeks, we’ll greet prospective families at our admission Open Classrooms; witness the creativity of our 8th graders at Arts Night; learn about the architectural talents of our 4th graders as they present their lighthouse projects; and enjoy lots and lots of basketball in Braemar as our GUS Boars take it to the hoop.

I especially invite you and your friends and neighbors to join me on Wednesday, January 17, at 6:30 p.m., in the Nance Room to watch and discuss Anthony Bourdain’s film Wasted! The Story of Food Waste. GUS is a school that lives its motto, “Mean well. Speak well. Do well.” That’s particularly true of our campus and the central role the natural world plays in our curriculum. Wasted! explores food production, great eating, composting, and related issues and our community partners in The Food Project, Backyard Growers, Black Earth Composting, Brick Ends Farm, Beverly Bootstraps, The Open Door, and The Garden School will join us before and after the film to explore the local implications and opportunities raised in the ninety minute film. We may even check in on those greenhouse plants!

40+Forward,

David Liebmann

Head of School