It was a big week at Swain, as we looked back and looked ahead.

At Wednesday's annual Founder's Day ceremonies, we celebrated the 85th anniversary of the opening of our school by
D. Esther Swain. Ever a visionary, Mrs. Swain chose United Nations Day (October 24) as the day on which to celebrate the beginnings of her "little school".

It is more than just a day to wear special dress uniforms and enjoy the musical performances of our students (pictured, our Swain Chorus of 3rd-5th graders). It is a day to honor ourselves, our school, and members of our community.

A very special part of the day is our Honor Pin ceremony. Beginning with our Kindergartners, each student new to Swain - as well as new faculty and staff - receive an Honor Pin. These are to remind us of the Honor Pledge, which guides our daily life:

As a member of the Swain community,
to honor myself and my school,
I pledge to be honest and show respect
as I strive for academic excellence.
I will take responsibility for my actions
and help others to do the same.

(Before Wednesday's ceremony, Head of School Todd Stansbery met with all of the Kindergarten and new students to explain the meaning of these words, and what they mean in real-life situations.)

Another tradition began in 2006, with the first awarding of the Trustee Award for Community Service, to honor a member of the Swain community for their volunteer efforts. Ardath Rodale was given the award posthumously, for her work as a philanthropist and patron of the arts. She was a former Swain art teacher and her children and grandchildren attended Swain. And we daily enjoy the Rodale Butterfly Reflection Garden she presented to our school (pictured, Heather Rodale accepts the award on her mother's behalf).

Mrs. Swain began another important tradition in 1951, when a dogwood tree was planted on Founder's Day. Over the years the numerous Founder's Day trees have transformed the former alfalfa field into the beautiful setting it is today.

This year's tree was presented by Carl, Regina and Zoe '15 Sharpe, in memory of our late Associate Head for Advancement, Judy Skinner. Unfortunately, rainy weather delayed the annual tree-planting ceremony until Friday morning. The Sharpes, representatives from each class, and Swain's "Lifers" (those who have attended from Preschool-8th grade) all placed a ceremonial shovel-ful of dirt on the new cherry tree in front of the building.

Yesterday it was time to switch our sights to the future, as about 75 members of the Swain community met for a Strategic Planning Session. It was led by Pat Bassett - former president of the National Association for Independent Schools, and now an educational consultant - who reminded us that a strategic plan is the 'living document' that guides us into the future (pictured, trustee Bill Wreaks welcomes the group which included current and alumni parents and grandparents, faculty, trustees, and administrators).

The participants, working in small groups, identified the school's strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. Reporting out to the larger group, there were many similarities - prompting the observation that, as a community, we are "all on a similar page" (pictured below, parent Matthew Tuerk shares his group's thoughts).

Inspired by Mr.  Bassett's "Independent Schools of the Future" presentation, we will now move forward with the next steps of this important process - synthesizing the input from trustees, faculty and staff, admini-strators, and families into that living document that will carry us to the year 2020.

At the end of the day, Board Chair Linda Noonan summed things up by saying that her daughter, a 2002 graduate, is a third-generation Swain student. Linda said that after participating in the day's activities, she is "even more excited" to think about Kristen's future children attending Swain some day.

Many thanks to those who were able to join us yesterday. If you were unable to come, you will be given an opportunity to share your thoughts on a survey that will be emailed to you shortly.

Click here to enjoy more images from Founder's Day and our Tree-Planting Ceremony, taken by Yearbook Coordinator Julia Getty.