FW: Friday night’s holiday reception for alumni—organized by Sam Johnson, Celeste Siemsen, Leah Waller, Mira Daniels, and Genevra Williams—totally warmed our hearts, despite the frigid Iowa night. It was great seeing so many alumni sharing memories and updates, reconnecting and renewing friendships. Sam kindly offered me the opportunity to say a few words about the many changes that have transpired at Maharishi School in the past decade, but it wasn’t the time or place to go into much detail. So I wanted to follow up with some points, hopefully of interest to you. Alumni Voices Be Heard In the almost 10 years since Andrea and I returned to Maharishi School, I’ve heard from a lot of alumni about their school experience—both glowing commendations and candid criticisms. The flow of feedback started the day we returned and hasn’t subsided since: in formal and informal conversations; in meetings with alumni on our faculty and staff (currently 10) and Board of Directors (6 now); in the Constituent Survey of 2011 (submitted by over 140 alumni); and in recent postings in social media. Maharishi School 6.0 Having been around at the start of the secondary school in 1981, I’ve seen the school pass through several distinct phases over the years. From my perspective, we’re at Maharishi School version 6.0—at least. That kind of change may be normal for institutions. But our story is loaded with unique twists and turns, since our school was born within a larger institution (Maharishi University) and is embedded in a national/global movement that passed through many changes over the decades. Those were reflected in the School, and continue to be. From the Past to the Present What’s come through loud and clear is the extreme range of past experiences, from heartfelt accolades to many that are painful to recall or hear. As Head of School, and one of the School’s founding faculty, I feel a responsibility to our alumni, to ensure that you know you are heard. My intent in what follows is not to balance perspectives. I am not citing your comments about benefits gained, relationships forged, appreciation shared. Those are deeply valued by all of us who have been associated with the school over these decades. The purpose here is twofold: to acknowledge issues and to describe changes that may be of interest to alumni. I hope this update will provide both information and some reconciliation. Changes TM and TM-Sidhis grading policies relaxed and simplified SCI transformed by Tasha and Jeremy Jones and Owen Blake Encourages critical thinking Taught in context of other theories Incorporates social and emotional learning and leadership topics Academics Spanish is offered as our foreign language AP exams taken in 9 subjects over last three years Investment in new textbooks with digital versions, throughout Upper School WiFi and personal computer use throughout the school Electives: Project Period is a 70-minute class each day for quarter-long electives, both teacher-designed and student-designed Examples: Music Composition, Art Portfolio, Entrepreneurship, Screenwriting, Robotics, Rocketry, Culinary Arts, Coding, Aquaponics, Novel Writing, Food Blogs, Architecture Human sexuality topics included in our comprehensive Holistic Health curriculum De-stigmatize mental health challenges Professional counseling service available to students Diversity responsive learning environment More than 30 countries represented in school community Presentations and workshops on diversity topics: racial, gender, spiritual/religious Gender inclusive learning environment: Presentations and workshops on gender spectrum and fluidity Welcoming LGBTQ+ students School uniform is gender neutral, including slacks for girls Anti-bullying policy and procedure Accountability for both students and teachers when issues arise Open communication, with mechanisms for feedback from students and parents Achievements I mentioned Friday night that our current students are “standing on the shoulders” of the alumni who pioneered our Consciousness-Based approach to education and who excelled in so many extracurricular activities. You set a high standard for success to which our students aspire….and sometimes attain (in 2016-17): Speech: Critic’s Choice in Musical Theatre last year Destination Imagination: 1st Place at Global Finals and special DaVinci Award for Creativity Tennis: Boys District Triple Crown and State Runner-Up in Singles Science: International winner in BioGenius competition and 3rd at INTEL Science and Engineering Fair Initiatives Now we are poised for a major advancement of Maharishi School. Our Board of Directors has spearheaded a new 5-Year “Good to Great” Plan to: Raise compensation levels to attract and retain faculty and staff Enhance marketing outreach with a new website design and social media campaign Expand recruiting both domestically and internationally, with a new dormitory option This spring we will again distribute a Constituent Survey as part of our 7-year accreditation cycle with the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). We take your input to heart, so we will appreciate your time in completing the survey. Thanks for reading all the way through this summary. You are an important part of our school community and are always welcome to visit or send comments, questions, or concerns. Have a wonderful, fulfilling New Year, Richard
From: "Dr. Richard Beall"
