Springtime—A Season of Activity and Accomplishment
During spring break, I had the privilege of joining Principia’s Arts on Tour in Colorado and Arizona. Eight College students and three of our music faculty presented four stellar concerts to more than 300 people. I was struck by the genuine outpouring of affection for all things Principia from those who welcomed us at each stop. The true liberal arts were reflected in the backgrounds of the eight talented young artists, including majors in music and theatre as well as chemistry and mass communication.
Just after the break, we welcomed former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the College as this year’s George A. Andrews Distinguished Speaker. Dr. Albright visited Professor John Williams’s political science classes, had dinner with a group of 12 students and 10 faculty and staff members, and spoke to an audience of about 500 in Cox Auditorium. Following the talk, John Yemma, Editor-at-large of The Christian Science Monitor, interviewed Albright on stage.
I was impressed by her powerful insights and ability to share her unvarnished views. Albright identified several global megatrends and warned about the media tendency toward “narrowing our views.” I very much appreciated Albright’s joke about the young person who is asked, “What’s worse—ignorance or apathy?” The young person shrugs and says, “Who knows? Who cares?” I’m grateful to report that our students are not answering with a shrug. Countering ignorance and apathy is a key component of our educational duties, and it was gratifying to hear Albright’s high praise for Principia and sincere admiration for our students.
Also just after the break, the American Shakespeare Center made a two-day stop in Elsah during their U.S. tour. We are grateful to an alumni couple who made this possible through a generous donation. In addition to an outstanding, full-house performance of Othello, the company gave two student workshops. The visit was a tremendous success, and we hope to have the company return on their next national tour.
This weekend features Dr. Laurance Doyle, who will give a talk entitled “The Metaphysics of Physics.” Doyle, principal investigator and astrophysicist at the SETI Institute in California, is also the Director of Principia’s Institute for the Metaphysics of Physics, which was founded last November.
The big event at the School this weekend is the Spring Production—Meet Me in St. Louis—a terrific way to celebrate St. Louis’s 250th anniversary. I am looking forward to hosting a dinner for the families of the cast and crew to acknowledge the immense amount of dedication, time, and effort that goes into these spectacular performances every year.
During the first part of spring break, School students had some big successes in regional competitions. Forty-four Upper School band students and nine choir students presented brass, woodwind, percussion, and vocal ensembles in the MSHSAA District Solo and Ensemble Contest. Two ensembles and six soloists qualified for the upcoming MSHSAA State Solo and Ensemble Contest.
In mid-March, the School’s new robotics team earned Rookie of the Year at the FIRST Robotics St. Louis Regionals. They will compete in the FIRST Championship with 143 other teams from Canada, the Dominican Republic, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United States at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis April 23–26. Read a student perspective on the School’s blog to learn more about the upper schoolers’ journey to the championship.
It’s an exciting time of year as we head toward graduation and reflect on the many accomplishments and triumphs of the academic year. You can hear some specific examples from our boarders in a new video on boarding at Upper School. Their thoughtful reflections are sure to inspire. In addition, a parent video shares the benefits of Principia’s boarding program from the parent perspective. If you know of students or families who might be interested, please share these videos with them. Help us spread the word about the transformative programs available here at Principia!