E Pluribus US

by Patrick T. Gallagher, Head of School

Historians recognize Boston Latin School, founded in 1635, as America’s first public school. Yet America’s first private school, Collegiate School, came first, in 1628 in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, in what is today New York City. America’s independent schools predate American independence. 

 

Today, schools like University School wear the term “independent” proudly. We value our autonomy, revere our culture, and hold fast to our mission. And while public schools outnumber private schools by a 5-to-1 ratio in this country, our independent schools serve diverse populations, expand our students’ horizons, and impact the students in our care in enduring, transformative ways.

 

Independence is palpable at US. Any number of legendary US mentors earned their status with not only larger-than-life personalities but also remarkably distinctive styles and strategies. Long after Commencement, they continue to loom large for alumni because they are one-of-a-kind. Likewise, as they strive for students to work and think for themselves, independence is foremost among the School’s goals. This past spring, addressing the newly inducted members of the Cum Laude Society, 40-year veteran drama director and teacher Carol Pribble channeled Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”  Indeed, for generations, US icons like Carol have helped boys accomplish that goal as they have supported US boys in becoming the best versions of themselves.

 

As this Report reminds us, our most meaningful achievements are bigger than any one of us. Before any of us can claim to be independent, we are dependent on those who came before. First families and then friends help counsel and support – both at US and well beyond – and, as this Report exemplifies, we recognize their indispensable contributions to who we are today. In his book Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different—And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men, psychologist Steve Biddulph expounds upon the importance of such influences on boys. “The role-model concept cannot be overemphasized,” he writes. “By watching a person we admire in action, our brain takes in a cluster of skills, attitudes, and values.”  An adolescent boy, he adds, “will lock on to a range of targets before downloading enough material to shape a personal identity.”  We do depend upon others. Our identities bear the hallmarks of many of the role models whose examples we looked to in our formative years, and at US we are blessed with a multitude of models. 

 

Still, one wonders whether “independent” or “dependent” both miss the mark. The pages of this Report detail the support of so many school stakeholders – students, parents, teachers, trustees, friends– past and present. We support US for its established legacy and its continued promise, for what it has done and for what it will do. US would literally not exist were it not for the faith, trust, and confidence of the US community. 

 

As I talk with school stakeholders here in Cleveland and around the world, I am struck how often those most deeply appreciative of US are those who also recognize just how interconnected the US community is. They recognize the School is more than any single constituency. The examples are countless. An alumnus thanks the coach who believed in him when no one else did. A grandfather thanks the school for offering his grandson an experience he envies. A teacher thanks the benefactor whose philanthropic support helps enrich her curriculum and enliven her teaching. A parent thanks the faculty for partnering with his wife and him to launch their son as a young adult. A retiree thanks the generations of students to whom he gave countless hours for giving his life meaning. 

 

In this spirit, US is an “interdependent” school, truly, and I thank all of those who help make it the exceptional community it is.