Weekly Message from Head of School 2025/06/09-2025/06/13
Dear Keystonians,
Happy Friday the 13th! Unless you suffer from triskaidekaphobia (an extreme fear of the number 13), in which case, I hope you’ve made it through the day safely—and with minimal dread!
What a beautiful week on campus, thanks to the vibrant events of Arts in Bloom! The visual and performing arts have literally blossomed everywhere: archway concerts in the mornings, primary student art displays, and performances (dance, theater, music) at every turn. And there’s still more—don’t miss the final show of Seven Feet Under this Saturday at 2:30!
Art doesn’t just add joy to our lives; it helps us interpret and make meaning of them. On Thursday, I slipped down to the PAC basement to watch short plays written and performed by theater students in a Blackbox classroom. One piece reimagined characters and themes from my all-time favorite novel, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (the first Western novel, published in 1605 and 1615). My own copies are well-worn from years of study and revisits—each read feels like catching up with an old friend, always offering fresh wisdom. I hope you, too, have books that accompany you this way.
It was a delight to see our students weave Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and those iconic windmills into their modern lives. Through their storytelling, themes of belonging and inclusion became tangible. Not to mention the collaboration, creativity, and courage it took to stage these plays!
When we talk about Keystone’s education, this is just one tiny example of its boundlessness.
Another theme on my mind this week: the generative hopefulness of multiple futures. At any moment, countless possibilities stretch before you. You always have agency to make choices, even if some paths are shaped by constraints beyond your control. You can control your responses—and the clarity with which you identify your options. As a mentor of mine often says, “What’s for you will not go by you.” This mantra reminds me that a life built around learning means there’s always something to discover, no matter the context.
Even as we celebrate the final weeks of the 2024–25 school year, we’re already preparing for 2025–26. Teachers and leaders are fine-tuning how we’ll organize time, space, and resources—a massive, multidimensional puzzle with no single “perfect” solution. Or rather, as we like to think, many perfect solutions.
Who teaches what? In which teams and classrooms? When?
These deceptively simple questions underpin every school year. For a school like ours—with robust, interdisciplinary programs and specialized resources—the complexity is mind-boggling.
This week, I’ve had countless conversations with colleagues navigating these annual adjustments: a new classroom assignment, a shift in teaching teams, or an office repurposed for learning space. In a school of our size, the number of moving parts is staggering. My deepest thanks to every faculty and staff member for making this intricate dance look effortless year after year.
Of course, this work has grown more complex as Keystone reached full capacity. In our early years, with fewer students and programs, logistics were simpler. But this complexity is a good thing—it reflects how our school has evolved into a richer, more dynamic place for students.
In one such conversation, a veteran colleague shared her initial disappointment about a new assignment—one that wasn’t her first choice. Yet, with emotional intelligence and grace, she pivoted to excitement about the growth it would bring. Her words stayed with me:
“I’m excited to serve kids in this new way.”
“I know I’ll learn and grow in this role.”
“I love Keystone; I’ll always help make things work for our students.”
By the end of our talk, her disappointment had transformed into anticipation. Even now, recalling her attitude brings me to tears. Keystone is full of people like this—not cogs in a machine, but living, growing cells of an organism that creates magic for kids.
Which brings me back to Don Quixote. Those students were practicing the art of imagining alternate futures, building the muscle memory to believe: There are many possible stories, and we help write them. They’re internalizing “what’s for us will not go by us” so that when challenges arise, they’ll be ready. They already know that there’s no greater gift than the chance to learn and grow.
If you’ve made it this far—thank you! Thank you for being part of this beautiful puzzle. Thank you for seeing the boundless possibilities ahead for our students. I can’t wait to see you next week!
With love,
Emily
