Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful, restful vacation full of great stories and happy memories. My summer included much time for play, including many hours with my son, Henry, engaging in America’s—and most definitely his—favorite pastime: baseball. Whether as pitcher, catcher, or fielder, I was put to good use as Henry lived out his fantasy of one day playing in a bigger venue than our back yard.
Which leads me to some major themes in our life at school: imagination and play. This summer, I was reminded often of Stuart Brown’s book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. Brown, a psychiatrist who founded the National Institute for Play, offers fascinating points about the importance of play in our lives, including how play develops creativity and social skills, making us much better equipped for any facet of our personal, academic, or professional lives. Play has been shown to increase test scores, attention, enjoyment, and learning in students. The benefits of play for adult workers include increased innovation skills, better collaboration among colleagues, greater productivity, and general wellbeing. Suffice to say that we should make play a priority. And not just play during vacations or holidays.
To that end, much of our “work” this summer was about play. Specifically, our Avis campus was being transformed by the construction of a new playground that includes a turf field, basketball and four-square courts, and an outdoor classroom. Landscaping of the hill on our upper yard continues, with a plan to open another outdoor classroom and wooded path. Our fearless Facilities Manager and project-manager-in-chief of these many endeavors is Steve Harrington. When you see him and members of his crew around campus, please give them a handshake and share in our gratitude for creating and maintaining wonderful spaces for work and play.
Integrating work and play, Prospect Sierra faculty and staff continued their professional development this summer by participating in our incredible TEDx: Teach Compassion conference on June 11, 2011. Every member of our staff attended this extraordinary event where we heard from local, national, and global educators, thought-leaders, scientists, students, artists, performers, and idealists. Prospect Sierra students, parents, trustees, and alumni were among the more than 700 attendees that came from all over the world, joined by 100 more who live-streamed the conference. Ideas and connections that began at the conference have already led to curricular plans that will impact our students this year. Videos from that day have been uploaded to YouTube and will be available on the TEDx website very soon. For more information, keep checking www.tedxgoldengateed.org for updates.
Stuart Brown makes the compelling statement that the opposite of play is not work. If we are engaged in meaningful work, it should feel like play. In the coming year, our students, families, faculty and staff will have countless opportunities to learn, explore, and connect. All my best wishes for the school year ahead, that it may be filled with happy work and honest play.