President Kling’s first meeting with (from left): Jack White, Logan Anderson, Zach Brister, and Jacob Touchstone.
During a visit last year with a head of school in another state, my colleague shared that he meets with all of his school’s seniors in small groups. I decided then that I would create a similar practice at Jackson Academy. I look forward to meeting with our seniors to ask for their reflections on the total Jackson Academy experience as they begin to transition from students to alumni. As I thought more about meeting with seniors, I felt it would be a lost opportunity to meet with our students for the first time in the spring of their senior year just as they are about to graduate and leave campus. So I decided to meet in the fall with our sophomores to strengthen my relationships with them – relationships that will continue to be nurtured over the next two-and-a-half years. And when those same students come to my office for the meeting in their senior year, they will be returning to a familiar place with the knowledge that their opinions and thoughts matter not only as “almost” alumni, but also during their Upper School years.
I embarked on meeting with all of our sophomores in groups of three to four students. The first meeting was held on September 15, and I just completed the last meeting this past Thursday. Each meeting lasted about 50 minutes, and as the above photo shows, the atmosphere was relaxed, casual, and welcoming. One of the fun things to see was how the different groups responded when I offered them soft drinks upon entering my office. Some accepted the offer immediately and chose their beverage. Some of the groups were shy at first with everyone saying they didn’t want a drink until finally one student would relent and tell me his or her choice for a drink and then, with the ice broken, everyone else would follow suit.
Having spent this time with each of our students, I am so impressed
with them. We are truly privileged to have the opportunity to serve
such great students—individuals who are not only good students, but,
even more importantly, good kids.
