September 2019: Empathetic Leaders, Prepared For Every Good Work

We are already through the fifth week of classes, and summer officially ended with the autumnal equinox that occurred on September 23rd. The school year began with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm from our students, faculty and staff. After fall sports practices began on August 12th, and a week of welcoming and introducing freshmen and new students to our campus for a week, we began classes on Monday, August 26th this year. After a four-day week and a four-day Labor Day weekend, we installed our Student Council officers in a prayer service at the start of our second week of school, and concluded our third week on Friday, September 13th, by celebrating Mass to commemorate the beginning of the new school year. We have traditionally been celebrating our opening of school Masses on September 14th, the day that Archmere first opened its doors in 1932.

During the Mass this year, we experienced for the first time the commissioning and blessing of our fall athletes, as part of our new Sport and Spirituality Program. The program’s vision is to promote “spiritual growth and the belief that God’s presence is embedded in the athletic experience. Student-athletes learn to value themselves and others in ways that are consistent with our Catholic Norbertine charism, focusing on building community through teamwork, developing humility, self-discipline and respect for oneself and others.” The mission of the program is to shape “student athletes to be inspired and empathetic leaders who are well-rounded citizens, serving their school, families, and communities with humility, empathy and kindness.”

 

Throughout all of these gatherings and rituals, I have been focused on talking to our students about the last line of Archmere’s mission statement: “Inspired by its heritage, Archmere cultivates empathetic leaders – young men and women prepared for every good work.” In particular, I wanted us as a school community to focus on what it means to be an empathetic leader and how a person develops into one. Much has been written about leadership, and there is research around empathy, as well. Putting the two ideas together provides a meaningful and significant goal of our mission. Leadership roles afford us access to resources to make positive change, and empathy gives us insight into what we can change that will be most beneficial for others, and not just for oneself. To that end, the Academy’s strategic initiatives most recently approved by the Board of Trustees include a focus on measuring the effectiveness of our experience in developing the necessary skills for our students to become leaders and to develop a sense of empathy. The strategic initiatives will be distributed in print at the beginning of November; however, committees and working groups are already in place and have begun working on various projects. We are off to an exciting start of another school year, and I am so grateful for support and shared talents that so many give to make the Archmere experience so very special. 

 

We will be concluding the month of September with our annual Faculty and Staff Retreat on the 27th, which will be held this year at Neumann University in Aston, PA. Faculty and staff will have an opportunity to spend the day in prayer, reflection, and conversation, led by guest speakers, with a focus on mindfulness and empathy. These defining moments of retreat and reflection enrich the school community and make us aware of the many blessings we have at Archmere. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we keep you in ours to be fortified in accomplishing our very important work of educating “young men and women prepared for every good work.”