Dear St. Elizabeth's Community,

Raising and teaching young people is not for the faint of heart. Just ask anyone who has tried to explain where babies come from to a 5-year-old or whether war is ever justified to a 13-year-old. There is both a short-term response to a child’s curiosity and a longer-term formation of their ethical development. Therein lies what Martin Luther King, Jr. once said about education, “to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education."

When I think about a St. Elizabeth’s education, I am confident that as long as we teach our students to share, care, repair, and dare, we are doing our part to develop a generation of thoughtful and compassionate humans. 

Share. One of our goals is to help students share their stories and ideas to learn from each other. In today's interconnected world, fostering a culture of open exchange and collaboration, we empower students to engage with diverse viewpoints, broaden their understanding, and cultivate empathy and understanding. Similarly, we are a community that shares its resources. We help one another, whether it’s with a meal or pitching in at a community event. We are always modeling for our students how to be our authentic selves and work together.

Care. At its core, education is a deeply human endeavor rooted in care – for ourselves, our students, and the world around us. As stewards of education, it is our responsibility to nurture not only the minds but also the hearts and spirits of our students. By fostering a culture of care, we create an environment where students feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. Yesterday, for example, our 3rd graders wrote random acts of kindness notes. They identified people in the building they wanted to thank or make smile and wrote notes to them to brighten their day. The best part was watching them secretly deliver the notes so they wouldn’t be noticed!

Repair. Sometimes, we make mistakes and hurt others. Part of learning is having the humility to acknowledge when we’ve done wrong and mending any tears in our relationships. This cultivates a culture of accountability and reconciliation. By instilling in students the habit of personal responsibility, we equip them with the skills and mindset needed to navigate conflicts, learn from mistakes, and contribute positively to their communities. But, repair can also extend to physical items. As a school, we often ask: “Can we fix that?” before we buy new. We encourage our students to recycle, reuse, and reinvent in an effort to counter materialism and wastefulness.

Dare. St. Elizabeth’s was founded on the idea that an excellent education should not be limited to only those who could afford it. Our founders dared to believe and dared to act on ideas bigger than themselves. This required them to think critically and creatively about what was already in existence and what didn’t exist…yet. There were plenty of facts presented that said a school like St. Elizabeth’s would never get off the ground. But our founders pressed on. And here we are.

If we do nothing else, but help our children share, care, repair, and dare, we will have developed lifelong learners with unbridled resilience and inner readiness for whatever the world throws at them.

That’s not too shabby.

Best foot forward, 

Adriana Murphy

Head of School