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The Barnesville School Letter from Letter from the HeadSchool of School the Head of John Huber Head of School Dear Barnesville Community, I write to you at a very exciting time in the life of The Barnesville School. With the recent unveiling of our Strategic Vision and our upcoming AIMS reaccreditation, we look to these next five years to shape the School in new and exciting directions. We seek to establish Barnesville as a school of arts and sciences, offering an outstanding academic program rich in the humanities, arts, math, and science. We plan to develop partnerships with new organizations, promote greater cross-curricular collaboration, and further advance our use of technology to enhance student learning. Yet in this new vision for Barnesville, we maintain our obligation to the School's sustaining values. Barnesville is unique in its location in the Agricultural Reserve, and we continue to cherish our upcounty perspective. This is a fine balance, to look toward growth while at the same time remain true to one's roots. We are at once a modern school embracing new technological initiatives for our students and a traditional school that believes in the value of outdoor education. Later in this report you'll read a letter of tribute to our former Head of School (1984-2006), Jaralyn Hough (or "Jeri" to all who knew her). With Jeri's unfortunate passing this summer, it prompted many of us to reflect on the history of the School under her 22 years of strong leadership. Just as now, this was a year of great change for Barnesville. The Family Handbook itself was a little shorter back then, though, with just 18 guidelines typed onto two mimeographed pages. Some things have changed – we no longer restrict students from bringing in umbrellas (policy #16), nor do we start school at 8:50 am (policy #9). Some policies ring true as universal guidelines for parenting, such as #6 – "please put a name on all removable clothing and items brought to school." And some show the origins of our current practices, such as #5 - "all children go outside every day unless it is raining. Even in very cold weather there is outdoor play time." What stands out most, though, is Jeri's letter to the parents. In her welcome letter, she writes about how each family's contributions support the School as a whole. Not just involvement in fundraising initiatives, as important as these are, but the time that each family provides to our faculty and our program. The School is a community, comprised of members who "give freely of their time and effort in order that our students can have a warm, caring environment which fosters a love of learning." Our upcoming reaccreditation, our Strategic Vision, our fundraising efforts – all these rely upon a community of devoted members who believe in our mission and how we educate young learners. This Annual Report lists these members by name, and I want to thank each for the contributions provided over the past school year. As I look through this old family handbook, I wonder what the teachers back then would say if I could share with them our newest learning initiatives, such as our preschool iPad program. Would they be amazed at the state of technology? Marvel at the skills our young students possess? More likely, I think I know what their response would be. "That's incredible! You must have a truly generous community to make this possible for the children." Indeed we do. With deepest appreciation to all our donors, supports, and contributors, John Huber Head of School 3