Challenging times inevitably provide opportunities for reflection, leadership, and growth.  This idea has been given voice again and again in recent conversations I have had around the country with friends of the school. “Given the present economic climate, your perspective on the school, and your wisdom,” my question begins, “what are the opportunities facing Holderness in the next five to ten years?”  Inevitably peoples’ responses are wrapped in the strong memories and relationships they have made at Holderness, even as they suggest new ways to embrace the Holderness Experience. And many times, these reflections start with Special Programs.

Special Programs – including Project Outreach, Artward Bound, Out Back, Senior Colloquium, and Senior Honors Thesis – resonate with members of the Holderness family precisely because they are not easy and thereby provide opportunities for lasting growth. Project Outreach takes our ninth-grade class to St. Barnabas Mission in Philadelphia where our students work with underprivileged children. Tenth-grade students in Artward Bound work with artists-in-residence in the performing and visual arts. Out Back takes the junior class deep into the White Mountains to brave the challenges of the outdoors. Senior Honors Thesis asks participating seniors to engage in an area of particular personal interest with the academic tools that they have cultivated over the course of their high school careers, and Senior Colloquium exposes seniors to the rigors of a college-level seminar course through a variety of challenging workshops. Each of these programs last only ten days, but – if the feedback is any indication – their effect continues well into the future.
 

The current economic climate remains a challenge for individuals and institutions, and Holderness is no exception. Even while looking forward to future opportunities it has never been more important for us to focus on the people and programs that define us today.

And so – with humility, appreciation, and on behalf of these special people and programs – I ask for your support. Your gift to the 2010-11 Holderness Annual Fund helps make what we do possible.  Your gift is an investment in the current generation of Holderness students as they experience all Holderness has to offer – building skills, memories, and friendships that will last a lifetime. And your gift expresses a belief in the lessons taught in general through our entire program, and specifically through Special Programs – that challenge can create positive and powerful change.

With deep appreciation,
 
R. Phillip Peck
Head of School