Setting the Course for a New School Year
During the 2017 Convocation, Hammond Board of Trustees Chair and father of two Hammond alumnae (Anna '17 and Caroline '13), Mike Penland, addressed the faculty and staff and expressed what the Hammond experience has meant to his family. An excerpt below is an excellent reminder of the special community of which we are all apart:
"This place, Hammond School, is not explained- but is well understood by those of you veterans. As a parent that now has "Parent Alumni" status, I can especially appreciate the magic that occurs on this campus on a daily basis. The creativity, more of those "Ah ha" moments like when a kid finally gets it for the first time...This amazing magic does not happen accidentally. It begins and ends with people I am looking out over this morning. Every kid that walks on this campus has a different story, a different background and different interests. You teach them the art of listening, to learn to study, to learn to respect. You teach critical thinking, an ethos of excellence, an expectation for giving one's best effort- always. You, are here to unlock that inner potential and prepare these children for greatness in life. Keep in mind that by the time a kindergartner graduates from Hammond, outside of their immediate families, they will have spent more time with you than any other person or group in their lives. That is an awesome responsibility.
What do we have to show for it? Let me tell you. We have created and developed teachers and preachers, doctors and lawyers, artists and brilliant military minds; bankers and bakers; athletes and pilots; corporate leaders and Peace Corps volunteers; actors and actresses; musicians and conglomerate owners; clerks and clinicians; researchers and philanthropists; architects and builders; and an entire new generation of moms and dads; even grandparents and third generation alums. But most of all, we have developed young minds and young adults of high character and moral direction who are well prepared to find their way in the world."
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Hammond Board of Trustees Chair, Mike Penland, center at Lower School Playground opening August 13, 2017.
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