Letter From The Headmaster

As technology advances and evolves, and humans become more and more capable, our future has the potential to take two different paths:

There’s the potential for a world where humans are broadly incapable of work. Then there’s our true destiny, where humanity’s basic nature as explorers, adventurers, and conquerors of our environments is assisted and enhanced by our advancing knowledge and technology.

This is our real job as educators: creating young people capable of creating a future that allows humankind to be interested, to explore, to create. 

How do we do that? There are a lot of answers, but there are a few fundamentals of education we have found to be true in achieving this specifically, the ability to absorb and create knowledge and the right for students to have, own and solve real problems. 

Students need problems. A person begins to take care of the future by imagining what is going to happen so as to be ready for it. He or she tries to foresee, through imagination, possible problems that will be met and to reach conclusions about them so that split-second action can take place when the actual problem is met. 

One of the best pieces of advice we can give our students is to find something that scares them and jump in. Whether they succeed or fail, in the end, the lessons learned and the abilities gained by testing the knowledge they’ve absorbed against their own conclusions and trying their own ideas is invaluable. Our practical program, done with integrity and courage by staff and students, is a bastion of defense against the slippery slope society finds itself on right now as technology advances and young people’s right to have and solve problems are fewer and further between.

If the goal of the Delphian practical program is to show students how able they actually are, we better do more than show them how well they can create problems. We better get really excited about students solving problems too! 

It isn’t that it is never right to solve a problem for a student.  But if we want independent students who can create their own future, we need to pay attention to when and how often we do it. 

Students’ solutions are often many things ranging from brilliant, to different and unique, to the uninformed. They have a right to see them through.  

Let’s protect our students’ right to knowledge and to creating and solving problems. 

Awards Ceremony

This year’s Awards Ceremony included a special performance by our Lower School students as well as performances by our Varsity and Jazz Choirs. Awards were given from Lower School through Upper School with major awards given primarily to our graduating seniors. Some of the major awards presented were the Overall Outstanding Academic Achievement (exceptional students who excelled in the academic area), Excellence Award for Outstanding Service and Outreach (students who have made a significant impact through community work and service endeavors), Citizenship (graduating seniors who have made exceptional contributions to the school community), The Standards Award for Academic Excellence (a graduating senior who is our top academic achiever), and Leadership (graduating seniors who have shown superlative leadership skills).

Froggie Went A Courtin'

The Lower School delighted the audience with their song and dance performance of Froggie Went a Courtin,’ music and lyrics by Bob Dylan and directed by form 8 student, Pruette Karl.

Frog went a-courtin’, and he did ride, uh-huh

Frog went a-courtin’, and he did ride, uh-huh

Frog went a-courtin’, and he did ride

With a sword and a pistol by his side, uh-huh

Well he rode up to Miss Mousey’s door, uh-huh

He rode up to Miss Mousey’s door, uh-huh

He rode up to Miss Mousey’s door

Gave three loud raps and a very big roar, uh-huh

Said, “Miss Mouse, are you within?” uh-huh

Said he, “Miss Mouse, are you within?” uh-huh

Said, “Miss Mouse, are you within?”

“Yes, kind sir, I sit and spin,” uh-huh

He took Miss Mousey on his knee, uh-huh

Took Miss Mousey on his knee, uh-huh

Took Miss Mousey on his knee.

Said, “Miss Mousey, will you marry me?” uh-huh....

Do You Hear The Birds?

An evil forest witch is determined to take over the world and has been slowly building an army of crows out of bewitched, kidnapped children. An unexpected twin set of heroes, the headstrong adventurous Hazel and quiet intelligent Oliver, find themselves mixed up in the middle of her evil plot when Oliver is unexpectedly kidnapped by the queen’s army. Hazel sets out on a rescue mission for her brother but she must convince the anthropomorphic woodland creatures to help her if she wants to succeed. Meanwhile the queen is working her evil magic to turn Oliver into her master of war and leader of the crow army. Will Hazel be able to save him before the queen turns Oliver against her? Will the army of forest creatures fighting for freedom and all that is good be a match against the queen and her army if they’re too late?

Do you Hear The Birds? Was written by form 8 students Pruette Karl and Siena Schofield and directed by Pruette Karl.

The Grand Inventor of Sector Three

Following a row with his apprentice and disaster while producing the most beautiful invention in the world, the distraught Grand Inventor of Markstown, his daughter and housekeeper disappear into the forest leaving Felix, the inventor’s promising apprentice, behind. 

The story picks up sixteen years later when Felix, who has resigned himself to a life as a shoemaker, is being pressured into choosing a wife when he runs into a beautiful mysterious lady in the forest gathering fruit and falls in love at first sight. 

Will the inventor reemerge? Will Felix return to inventing? What is the identity of the mysterious lady in the forest?

Play written by the dean, Kelly Hepburn, and directed by form 8 student Pruette Karl.