Generosity and Gratitude
On Saturday evening, Ridgeview held its eighth annual Numis Night. This was the best attended donor event in Ridgeview’s history. The venue, the Windsong Estate Event Center, was beautiful. Looking westward, as we bid on items, we watched the sun set over the Front Range before sitting down to eat. The food was excellent, the donors generous, our auctioneer (Mr. Carpine) talented and energetic, and the company light and entertaining. Ridgeview is indebted to the ladies of the Numis Committee who not only brought this particular event to light, but who have worked tirelessly to develop and dramatically improve what began life as the “Hoplite Hoedown” nearly a decade ago. I am sincerely appreciative for the efforts of everyone on this committee. They include: Wendy Rankin, Stevie Daigneault, Heather Radzay, Katie Johnson, Katie Gates, Cindy Stark, Megan Estes, Sarah Jones, Sarah Banzhaf, Hanneke Boon, and Lindsay Steele-Idem.
Ridgeview looked stunning on Saturday night, and nearly every parent I visited with explained how much they appreciated the work the school is doing. While each story was unique in its particulars, most expressed how their children were excited to have a particular teacher, or grateful to have been a part of an outdoor trip, or to have had an encounter with Mrs. Van Dusen or Mrs. Alexander that they regarded as heartfelt. As I noted in my brief remarks during the event, I am the privileged representative of the fine work of so many fine people—faculty, administrators, and staff who, by their good work, most of which is unseen and unacknowledged, have secured Ridgeview’s good reputation.
The superlative work of Ridgeview’s employees is complimented by the involvement of those who make up our community. That involvement is the lifeblood of our independence and autonomy, without which Ridgeview would subside into ordinariness. That involvement is of four kinds. First, Ridgeview requires choosing. No one is defaulted into our community by the happenstance of where they live. Choosing necessitates some sacrifices in terms of transportation and other conveniences. Second, it requires participation. It means showing up for conferences, plays, musicals, practices, reading groups (both for one’s children and for oneself), understanding the curriculum, and much else. The experience is not a passive or spectative one. Third, it requires volunteering not only because financial considerations preclude compensation for everything involved in operating a school, but because not everything should be compensated. When people volunteer in an organization, they come to understand the whys and wherefores of its operations. They come to know the people and to see the importance of sincerity and generosity. They better appreciate the hardships involved in a project as big as this, and they lend their talents in unexpected ways. Finally, donating. When a school is as ambitious as Ridgeview, when it seeks the holistic improvement of not only its students, but its parents and teachers too, there will be things it needs that it cannot afford. A parent community willing to contribute not only talents and time, but dollars and cents is essential.
In coming together in these four ways, we make it possible to develop our children and students in three distinct ways. First, we teach them to be. By this, I mean we teach them to have good character, and we unabashedly have explicit conversations about what this means in both literature and life. Second, we teach them to think. We do this not only by filling their heads with so much content, but by providing them with a methodology for sorting out what is Good, True, and Beautiful. Third, we teach them to persevere. Perseverance takes as many forms as there are people who exhibit it. Whether through math, mountains, or music, everyone at Ridgeview is tested and encouraged to become better than they are. Smooth seas do not make skilled sailors. As individuals, we grow as a result of our trials—not our comforts or contentedness. If we can teach our students to be, to think, and to persevere, and help them to recognize their better selves, we will have lived up to our motto of “from here, anywhere.”
Of course, to do these higher, nobler things, we must not become complacent and inattentive of the more fundamental things. This year’s Numis Night had as one of its core objectives the raising of money for classroom medical supplies. Ridgeview has spent the better part of two years dramatically re-envisioning what safety and security means in the context of a school. Our efforts to develop and implement a multitiered strategy have won praise from those in law enforcement, fire and medical professionals, behavioural specialists, and security consultants. There are many great things a school like Ridgeview can do for its students, but all of those things depend on our first having kept our students safe.
For those who may be interested in donating, the online portion of our auction will remain open until 8:00 p.m. on Monday, March 10. The link for this can be found here. My deep gratitude goes out to all of the parents who supported us in this incredible endeavor on Saturday evening, and for helping to keep Ridgeview inimitable.
D. Anderson
Headmaster
