School Embraces Local and Global Community
Fostering an inclusive, connected sense of community at the start of a new academic year is a priority at many schools, including Principia. This year, that means helping 420 students representing 29 U.S. states and 14 countries feel at home here. It also means welcoming into the wider Principia embrace nearly a dozen families who have recently relocated to St. Louis. This effort underscores the importance of practicing this year’s Principia-wide metaphysical theme: “ . . . love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39).
Against a backdrop of unrest both globally as well as in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, this injunction is both apt and timely. In his opening chapel on August 26, Principal Travis Brantingham spoke convincingly about the necessity and the blessings of loving one another on a daily basis—in big ways and little.
One of those little ways that promises to reap big rewards began yesterday with the launch of a weekly “community lunch,” a new initiative designed “to provide an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to get to know one another and build community,” Brantingham explains. Students from multiple levels gathered together for lunch at assigned tables “hosted” by faculty and staff. Several administrators, including Brantingham, donned aprons and helped serve. Judging from the buzz of conversation and laughter at yesterday’s lunch, both communication and community spirit were blossoming! (To give time for the groups to get to know each other, table assignments will remain the same for a month.)
Of course, true community is about more than specific events or activities. It’s about consistently recognizing and appreciating commonality in approaches and values, as well as esteeming differences and diversity—an essential skill in today’s increasingly cross-cultural world. Our Upper School is a microcosm of this world: international students constitute nearly 10 percent of the student body, with newly admitted students hailing from Canada, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Kenya, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda.
To date, the School has admitted 100 additional students overall, with the biggest group (21) in the freshman class—and there may be more! Even into the second week of the semester, the Admissions team is communicating with students and families who are considering an imminent or mid-year transfer to Principia.