Many (most?) of you are familiar with the "I am LILA" video that opens our website (if you are not, you MUST take a few minutes and go to www.lilaschool.com and DO NOT skip intro).  It is 3 years old and pure magic. It is the creation of a group of parents including Pedro Pablo Celedon.  Pedro Pablo is a long time LILA parent and a true magician for telling a story through film.  Many moons ago (2003), he offered to "make a little clip for us" using both bits of new (at the time) and much older footage to help make the school's website a little more dynamic.  I gave him an old vhs of a winterfest from 1987 when I was a senior in high school and some random clips from events and shows throughout the years.  He took a few extra shots and made a short video clip...

I found it last night and thought I would share it with you... 1 minute and 17 seconds... a little piece of our history... you will recognize some of the faces... I recognize them all... :-)

At this point, you know of the ways in which LILA is extending our students’ reach of understanding past the classrooms and into the realm of conscious, sustainable living, environmental appreciation and preservation, and community cooperation.

During our Semaine Sans Papier (week without paper), teachers, students, and parents were asked to be more aware of the resources our school and our lives require. Teachers were compelled to get their creative juices flowing; classroom activities utilized materials such as clay, wire and paint in lieu of the usual homework handouts and photocopies. Students left school and while visions of sustainability danced through their heads (hopefully) parents found they had a lot to talk about in regards to the resources used at home as well.

To round out the week, each class was given time to experience a little of what it takes to make one of our resources most taken for granted. With help from David and their teachers, the kids made their own paper.

By ripping up used paper into small pieces, sorting them by ‘mostly colored’ or ‘mostly white’ and then blending the pieces with water to make a paste, each class learned a simple yet invaluable process. The paste was then spread onto handmade screens to dry; a couple trips to Home Depot and a few messy kids later, teachers and students had homemade recycled paper to explore with, and they had a lot of fun making it!

The week without paper has come and gone, but it is far from forgotten. I talked to a couple of the teachers and they’ve noticed that students are still making an effort to recycle, reduce and reuse. Jose Garcia (teacher of Kindergarten) noticed that his students are remembering more and more to always use both sides of a piece of paper – one small step…

As for the recycled paper the kids made, it’s a big hit and there’s a possibility it will be making an appearance in both our upcoming writing to share and art projects to come, keep an eye out!

There are moments in life in which it is hard to decide whether one is overwhelmed with happiness or mourning a loss…

This is one of those times…

Last week I met with David Redfield, LILA’s college counselor since 2008-2009 who told me that he would be leaving LILA at the end of the year to further his education.  He had applied to many graduate schools and wanted me to be the first to know.

And there you are… conflicting emotions… which would take the lead?:

1)      The extremely selfish thought of head of school that this was sad news for LILA and me.   For those of you who do not know David, he has been with us since 2004 as a highly-respected English and IB teacher. In 2008 he took over our high school counseling program and helped students apply and get into very celebrated universities.

2)      The pride at thinking that somehow LILA had changed David’s life and brought him into this world of education and that he wanted to extend his knowledge and go further on this path…

3)      The absolute joy (mild jealousy?) for someone I consider a friend to hear about this exciting adventure and next leg on his journey

I would like to publicly congratulate David on being accepted to the Harvard Graduate School of Education: Master of Education program in Learning and Teaching (Instructional Leadership: ELA).

A general note to parents who, like me, are so very sad when a teacher or administrator announces they are leaving:

I spend a lot of time and energy recruiting the best educators I can possibly find.  I put in place an extensive continuing education program to help them continue to grow and to keep them curious.  For many, LILA is not their final destination.  We are an important step, we are a part of their lives for a few years.  I think we have to celebrate the time we have with them rather than mourn their loss.  Yes it is easier said than done, and yes my pedagogical team will cry every time one of their “chickens” says they are leaving the coop… But we are richer for the time they have spent with us and I hope that the feeling is mutual. 

David will have set the firm foundation for a real counseling program at LILA.  Because he is a professional, he will work with his successor to ensure that what he has started continues smoothly next year… I have no doubt at all.

Congratulations David!