My office in School House used to be a bedroom.
Every so often here, as was the case a few times this past week on the heels of Alumni Weekend, someone pops their head into my office, points to my desk, and proclaims to their spouse or children or grandchildren in tow, “That’s where my bed was!”
At first I found it unusual whenever this would happen. (I had great teachers and a really positive experience, but I haven’t returned to my high school since I graduated. Nor have I ever had the desire to do so.) But then as more SMUS alumni proudly ventured to the top floor of School House to show off their old dorm room, I’d listen to their stories and ask them questions, and I began to understand what makes SMUS – and the experience here – so special.
The Spirit of Place
There’s an intangibility that makes SMUS special.
For many who look back fondly on their time at any school – be that elementary school, middle school, high school or university – nostalgia is rooted in the memories created in a particular place. Revisiting that place (in this case, a building like School House that has existed for more than 115 years) helps trigger those memories and evokes a flood of emotions tied to them. And they are always about people.
Since our earliest days – even as two separate schools through much of the 20th century – this relationship-building is what we have always excelled at. This school brings amazing people (students, parents, staff) together to create memories and forge relationships that last well beyond our time at this school. While everything we do is centered around educating students, we strive to go beyond that to give every one of those people an experience that instills in them a love of learning, leading and growing for the betterment of their communities.
This intentional experience, with human connections at the heart of all we do, creates feelings that every one of us attaches to this place. And that spirit of place is what draws us back here and it’s what makes SMUS special.
And it’s what I will look back most fondly on as I move on from SMUS next week.
Our SMUS Story
These connections – the shared memories built by students, teachers, friends, classmates – are built and shaped daily. Step into any classroom, sit through a chapel service or Senior School assembly, watch a Middle School concert, the Grade 5 opera or a Senior Girls Field Hockey game, or journey with the Kindergarten classes on an outdoor education trip to Chickawich. It’s evident that we are more than a school; we are a community.
This is our story. It’s the one we all want to tell. SMUS teachers ensure that students gain an appreciation for learning through experiences that they won’t forget; experiences that will become part of their core memories.
Holding our school Values – respect, courage, honesty, service – at the heart of the connections with students, parents and all community members, we want every person’s SMUS story to have the same ending; one that makes people want to come back five, 10, 50 years later to re-experience the spirit of this place.
Whenever that return to SMUS may be, there’s no doubt that things will be different. The people will change, there’ll be new buildings built and older ones may be gone, and the ways of teaching and learning will have continued to evolve. But what won’t change will be the feeling of being here; the feeling that comes from being a part of a great community.
While I still have no plans to return to my own high school, I know that I’ll come back to SMUS because the spirit of the place has a strong pull. Fifty years from now, I’m confident I’ll be the one taking the elevator up to the top floor of School House with family members in tow and proudly proclaiming, “That’s where my desk was!”
