A Message from Laura Fuller: Fall/Winter 2018-19

The first half of this school year was highlighted by the opening of several additional new and renovated spaces that have been supported by the Our Common Bond campaign. These facilities were built out of a need and desire to provide the functional space required to support our growing student body, but they have already proven to be so much more for our community, with the addition of learning environments, gathering spaces, and opportunities to showcase our outstanding arts and athletics programs alongside our academic successes. We are so very grateful to all the donors who have helped make Our Common Bond such a huge success so far, and look forward to thanking and recognizing those who are still considering making a generous gift to the campaign in the near future.

As I think about that spirit of giving, especially with the holiday season just behind us, I can’t help but think about the gift of independence we strive to give all of our students, especially our seniors, as they prepare to leave our community and make their mark in the world. The feature story in this issue puts the spotlight on the lives of just a handful of our alumni who have accomplished and experienced some very interesting things in life since their time at University School. It is heartwarming to know that this place, this special community of educators and learners, had so much to do with their successes, and the successes of all of our graduates.

The common bond that all of us share—whether students, alumni, parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators, trustees, or friends of the school—is that we believe in and support this transformational experience we call a USM education. We strive for excellence for our students, because we want them to have the successes that lead to such incredible stories—and we want them to feel so connected to this community that they yearn to share those stories with the rest of us. We have a shared identity, which strengthens our bonds as a community. Because of those bonds, we share our successes and celebrate them as a community.

We never know exactly what path our alumni will take as they move on from Fairy Chasm Road, but one thing we do know is that University School is a school that offers so much more than just the learning that occurs in the classrooms; as importantly, if not more importantly, this is a place where people feel connected during their time here and, hopefully, throughout the rest of their lives. That foundation is a part of feeling a sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself. That we have all had a hand in contributing to that, and that we all continue to benefit from that as part of this community, is one of the most treasured gifts that this place can give us.