A Flurry of Activity Precedes Spring Break
The campuses have been humming at full speed this month. Spring break is just around the corner and will bring a well-earned breather for students and faculty.
Midterm exams, District basketball competitions, and rehearsals for various drama productions are just a few of the many activities keeping Principia students productively engaged. Spring sports practices started at the School this week, and a huge crowd of Principians turned out last weekend to support the Lady Panthers in the basketball District championship, where they took second place.
I’ve recently returned from a quick trip to Florida, where I joined in the final, celebratory dinner with the Principia Lifelong Learning Treasure Coast Performing Arts trip. During this five-day, sold-out excursion, nearly 70 participants took in performances at the Palm Beach Opera and The Lyric Theatre, as well as visiting the Elliott Museum and the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center.
Our next Principia Lifelong Learning trip—Fire and Ice in the Rocky Mountains—is scheduled for July and is also full. (E-mail pll@principia.edu to be added to the wait list.) Meanwhile, we will be announcing several new trips for the upcoming year very soon.
Starting this weekend, a group of 14 Upper School students is heading to Israel to embark on a journey through Bible history over spring break. And I am looking forward to my own travels, accompanying a group of eight talented College musicians and three Music Department faculty members on the Arts on Tour trip. They will be sharing their talents at four Principia Club events in Colorado and Arizona. If you will be in the area, check out dates and other details. Both campuses were treated to preview concerts this week, and I am confident that audiences will enjoy this high-quality presentation. Please join us if you can.
After a four-month search, we recently announced that Travis Brantingham (US’94, C’98) will step into the position of principal of Principia School, effective July 1. The interview process for the short-list candidates involved widespread community involvement and input. All constituencies—including faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni—consistently identified Travis’s leadership and vision as what is needed in this role.
Travis is a terrific character educator who is well respected by current students and recent School alums. He brings eight years of Principia experience, serving as director of strategic projects, athletic director, and assistant dean of students. Before coming to work at Principia, he served as director and assistant director at two camps for Christian Scientists. Travis has already joined our Principia-wide leadership team, the Executives Committee, and is working alongside Head of School Marilyn Wallace for a smooth transition.
The Principia Parents Association recently brought the community together for its annual Trivia Night fundraiser. The Board of Trustees had just wrapped up a full weekend of meetings, and several Board members were able to lend their support. It’s always a great evening of camaraderie, and I never mind being handily beaten by the School’s powerhouse group of classroom teachers. Just one more reminder that our students are in good hands!
At the College, we are grateful to be hosting an inspiring list of speakers once again this year. An overflow crowd enjoyed hearing Moral Courage speaker Mike Kim, who put his life on the line to help people escaping the oppressive North Korean regime. Later this month we welcome former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as this year’s George A. Andrews Distinguished Speaker. She will speak Thursday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Cox Auditorium. In addition, the 65th annual Public Affairs Conference will take place at the College March 27–29 with a focus on sustainability. Speakers include Vincent Stanley, co-author of The Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned from Patagonia’s First 40 Years.
A Principia education is all about opportunity—the opportunity to stretch, to grow, to learn, to see the world through a spiritual lens. If you know students ready for the opportunities Principia has to offer, please send them our way. This spring offers several more visiting weekends for College and Upper School students and their families. We’d love to share what we have to offer.