When you look at semester grade reports -- do you think about the grades more than the comments? When you get back assessments, papers or projects -- do you think about the percentage or letter at the top more than the written feedback? When you think about your homework -- do you focus on the tasks you need to complete rather than what habits and training that work helps you develop?

Of course, those points of focus are reasonable, but there’s a hidden danger too. If you focus only on your work as what you produce and your measure of success only by your grades -- this can limit your perspective, undermine your confidence, and diminish your dignity. You are so much more than a completed paper or project -- so much more than a percentage grade or a GPA.  

Every September, the Montrose School Student Government leadership team selects an inspirational theme for the new school year. This year’s theme, ZEAL – enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective – sums up the purposeful enthusiasm that Montrose students bring to all their adventures, whether in their studies, sports, theater, clubs or service projects.  

Zeal is not just a passing emotion but a virtue. St. Thomas Aquinas states in his Summa Theologiae that zeal flows from an intensity of love. In a school, we should seek from God the virtue of zeal – to “seek to imitate, where possible, the goodness or excellence we observe in others,” as Monsignor Charles Pope wrote in the Catholic Standard. 

Senior Kate Novack ‘24 invoked the spirit of zeal as she greeted the audience of prospective families at our Admission Open House this fall: “Welcome to what I hope will be your new home – a home where I have felt valued for who I am, the unique gifts and talents I am able to put at the service of others, and the joyful spirit that I, and all my Montrose sisters, feel each day.”

Inspired by this theme, I shared with our students the story of a woman who exemplified zeal: cryptanalyst Elizebeth Smith Friedman, an American war heroine, poet and codebreaker. She took her love of Shakespeare and proficiency at solving puzzles and applied them to intercepting and solving enciphered messages – work that was instrumental in helping the U.S. win both World Wars. 

I asked the girls to think about the question: What are you made for? And I shared Montrose’s answer: You are made for greatness. As they have heard often at Montrose, every student, and indeed every person, is unique, unrepeatable and called by God to discover her noble purpose, in order to transform the world for the good.

As I told the girls:

Last month, I received a Christmas gift from the managing editor of The Journal of Moral Education – a pile of reprints of my article “Mentorship Programs in Schools: Bridging the Character Education Gap” following the December online publication. 

I was giddy with joy. The publication of that article represents a fragment of three years of study and research – including over 200 curated references, my analysis of five major works of Aristotle along with countless contemporary studies, and my own action-research findings. The work was dog-hard and the end results are delightful. That’s true of all quality scholarship: the work is hard and the end results are deeply satisfying.

Writing college essays has actually improved my mental health – sort of. Though I don’t relish the prospect of dashing off supplemental after supplemental, and looming deadlines don’t inspire joy in my heart, I’ve realized that the more essays I write, the more wholesomely I think. Let me explain.

Family dinners at my house can be messy –  and not just the dishes. It’s not always easy to coordinate schedules, pull kids away from homework/books/sports/screens, put my own devices away, and figure out what to cook that the majority of people will eat. But most nights all of us are together in the same room, eating something at dinner-ish time. 

Upper School Director Barbara Whitlock sends a monthly message to upper school students. In her January message, she coaches students to think about how the way they communicate.

What’s the best thing about returning to school after a break? Reconnecting with others.

And how do we connect? Through talking.

Aristotle says that what most distinguishes humans is our ability to communicate. The fact that we can talk in complex ways is unique to humans, and communication is the foundation of community. Note that these words share the Latin root word cum or with. Talking is how we connect with others. Connecting with many people in a shared context -- such as at school -- is the way we weave the fabric of community.

A couple of years ago, I was planning a workshop for Montrose School’s Sophomore Symposium. Specifically, I was searching for a powerful story could I use to remind students of one of the core lessons from the middle school’s signature “Habits of Mind” class: 

The days have gotten shorter and the weather chiller. ‘Tis the season . . . for your child’s parent/teacher conferences. 

Every parent – and every teacher – can feel a little anxious leading up to parent/teacher conferences. Yet this annual passage is an important touchpoint in the school year. At Montrose, we know that parents are the first and most important educators of their daughters. That means that our November conferences between parents and a student’s teachers and mentor are essential to forwarding our aims to partner with parents to support their child’s academic and personal growth. 

How can parents best prepare to engage in these short but important conversations? 

If someone asks you -- how are you doing -- where does your mind tend to go first?

• To your worries about what you need to get done? I have so much work to do…

• Stress surrounding upcoming tests or other deadlines? That test is going to be so hard…I’ll never get that paper done…

• Some slight you perceived from a friend?

As the leaves unfurl and new flowers pop out every day, we’re reminded that it’s a season of change. As fellow New Englanders who have longed for spring, we know how to welcome that change, even if it leaves our sinuses a little itchy.