Resolutions & Reflections

The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.?

~ Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go

Resolutions are a gamble. But every year I feel compelled to dedicate this midpoint Mustang Message to resolutions and some reflections about them.?

In one word, I would summarize this year, and the previous, as paradoxical. Never have we had such persistent community-wide anxiety hanging over us. The impact of fear, isolation and disconnection is tangible. Compounding the general anxiety, we have never seen so much flux. We are a fluid environment at the best of times but the COVID era has brought unprecedented fluctuation. The movement of students and staff in and out of the school has been at unheard of rates, placing strains on people, time and budget.?

On the other hand, the main cause of the fluidity is enrollment growth. We have a record number of students and as a result we have a record number of faculty and staff. Enrollment is the catalyst of growth in any school, and our recent enrollment increases have opened doors of opportunity. In fact, highlighting the paradox that has been the past two years, the school is experiencing a wave of sustainability and strategic growth, like we have rarely experienced previously.

In our most recent podcast (available here ), I describe some of our most important strategic goals, including:?

1. Striving to be our “right size.” This means reaching an enrollment number in each Division that we were (literally) built for. This means having the “right” number of students to maximize our potential to offer the best array of academic, extracurricular and social opportunities – while maintaining the same ratio of students to teachers in any particular class.?
2. While at the same time, we continue to strive to be as affordable as possible. Through significant endowment growth over the past few years, we have been able to increase the percentage of our families that receive some level of need-based financial aid from 30 percent six years ago, to 42 percent this school year.?
3. While at the same time, supporting our faculty and staff through competitive compensation, outstanding professional development and a supportive culture.?
4. While at the same time, maintaining below market tuition increases over the past eight years.

Remaining sustainable by balancing these often competing challenges, especially in the face of these uncertain times, is essential for our short-term and long-term health.

Regarding COVID, our mantra has been: Safety. Continuity. Progress. Thus:

1. How are we providing for the safety of our students and staff?
2. How are ensuring that quality in-person learning continues? That is, to the extent possible, how are we avoiding online learning?
3. How are we ensuring that academic and social emotional progress, similar to typical years, is occurring?

I cannot even begin to flesh out all the ways the staff and our students have succeeded through the challenge of the pandemic over the past two years. Their flexibility, perseverance and strength has really made an impression on me.

A very recent survey of Middle Tennessee private schools shows that Currey Ingram’s mostly CDC-aligned response, while more conservative than most, seems to balance safety, continuity and progress in the right measure for our particular school. For example, I have always been guided by the idea that the risk of losing quality academic time was greater for our students, so measures to minimize that risk have been emphasized.

To help me write the next chapter I have invited a number of faculty and staff, who have various responsibilities at the school, to add their reflections.

Beyond the response to the pandemic, we kept our program thriving and indeed have taken on some exciting strategic initiatives. Below is a summary, infused with the thoughts of some of our wonderful leaders on campus.?

We start with our Division Heads who highlight some of the special programs unique to this time of the year. In the Lower School “Fourth graders are participating in mini-winterim this week. During this week, fourth graders focus on a special area of interest. Over the course of the week, students complete a special project and the week culminates with a presentation of the project to peers. Topics include: Game Creation, Introduction to Microscopes, Shadow Box Dioramas, Rhythm Makers, Hiking, Little Bits Gadgets and Gizmos, Punch Needling and Skit Creation.”?

-Danielle Barton, Lower School Division Head

In our Middle School “the students are preparing to participate in national STEM-based competitions. Seventy students are working on a physical model of a waste-free city with a circular economy for the Future City competition at Auburn University on Jan. 29. Twenty-one students qualified for the Invention Convention competition at MTSU on February 17.”?

-Mary Ragsdale, Middle School Division Head

Finally, in our Upper School “teachers are finalizing their plans for the 2022 Odyssey experiences. Odyssey is a three-day event each spring that allows Upper School students to take a deep dive into a particular area of study through hands-on, experiential learning. This year’s experiences include an arts-themed trip to Spain and a fossil dig in East Tennessee.” -Jared Clodfelter, Upper School Division Head

“With Residential Life three new students have moved into the ResHall, putting us up to a total of 12 students in our program - we are looking ahead to some exciting activities as the semester progresses, and enjoying building community and culture in the ResHall.”?

-Jenna Glovsky, Residential Life Director

“The Center for OutReach Education (CORE) is expanding Currey Ingram’s impact in the community by supporting students who learn differently beyond the walls of our school. CORE offers one-on-one intervention for struggling readers and free screenings to promote early identification of reading difficulties.

Thirty Currey Ingram faculty members are currently participating in the Pathways to Proficient Reading program, which provides training in evidence-based approaches for supporting struggling readers. Select faculty are also in the process of becoming certified Pathways facilitators, which will allow us to share this knowledge with teachers throughout our community.” -Regan Humphreys, Director of Program Outreach

“The Upper School Theater Department is holding auditions next week for the spring production of William Shakespeare's most famous comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Everyone is invited to attend this show the weekend of April 22-24, 2022.”

-Marcelle Anderson, Upper School Health Teacher & Theater Director

“And, the Upper School Rock Band finished its first semester with an epic 13-song set at The Blue Room in downtown Nashville on December 11. There is no slowing down for the band during the second semester, as they will start rehearsing for at least three performances this Spring.?

The CIA News is in its 10th year and will broadcast the first of six episodes this semester later this month. The current news team will be a mix of CIA news veterans and some new faces.”

-Sean Kelly, Upper School Fine Arts Teacher

“Mustang Athletics has over 200 student-athletes from grades K-12 participating so far this school year (fall & winter). Through fall and winter sports, 91% of our coaches are CIA faculty and staff. Also, spring will mark the first time our teams get to compete on our new artificial turf field and track!”

-Kelly Fish, Director of Athletics?

“The Board of Trust congratulates all faculty, staff, administrators, students and parents on navigating the challenges of COVID so successfully. Keep up the good work! Your Board of Trust is a dedicated group of volunteers who continues to diligently strategize and plan for ways to make our incredible school even better for all our students - both current and future.”

-Susan Hammer, President

Come paradox or pandemic, it is clear we have the people with the talent, passion and resolve to write our next chapter and deliver the program our students and families deserve. May 2022 be an amazing year for your family and for Currey Ingram.