Dear AFS Families,

It was an emotional day in the AFS community as we saw a long, divisive and often bitter election campaign come to a close last night with a result that surprised many on both sides and deeply unsettles many in our community, where we have such clear commitments to equity, justice, diversity and inclusion. The last year and a half of the campaign was a challenge in itself in its coarseness, partisan anger and constant presence in our lives. That it ended with a conclusion few could have imagined 18 months ago added significant gravity and weight to the day.

I wanted to share with you some thoughts about the day, about our community and how we have guided and supported all our students today, regardless of political affiliation. I want to be clear that, as a school, we do not support either political party or candidate, and as part of our inclusive work, strive to make sure that every student is treated respectfully, even as we critically examine the issues themselves.

First, faculty and staff who were able gathered briefly for Meeting for Worship this morning to center themselves, get grounded in community and prepare for meeting and supporting students and families. It was very clear that we all were committed to the experience of children today and focused on putting their needs first on a day that was hard for many teachers coming into school.

After that, I made sure to welcome Lower School families as I always do, to be present as folks started the day together. I then addressed the Upper School students at their morning assembly, acknowledging the raw feelings and challenge that many were feeling on the morning after the election and pointing to Meeting for Worship later in the day as a place of reflection, community and spiritual strength. I reminded them of the resources they have in their teachers, advisers and school counselor and encouraged care and kindness throughout the day. A scheduled senior class meeting later in the day was postponed so that students could meet in advisory groups to check in and share thoughts.

We were fortunate that today was Wednesday, a day when all three divisions of the school go to the Meetinghouse for Meeting for Worship. I was pleased that several parents were able to join us for worship during the day. In all, the meetings were filled with thoughtfulness and extraordinary grace on the part of students and faculty alike, who offered perspective, words of healing and next steps. Many expressed gratitude for the deep value our community places on respect, human dignity and hope as essential to meeting the challenges our nation is facing.

In Middle and Upper Schools, I shared that as a Quaker school, we have a sense of “the realm of the spirit” and are able to speak about it in ways that enlarge our sense of who we are as people and how to see the world. There are times when the realm of the spirit is beautifully in sync with the outside world, as when a couple welcomes a child into their family. There, the light and inherent beauty of the child inspires a kind of reverence, awe and deep love that reflects the light of the spirit in the parents. But there are many times when the outer world is sharply discordant with that of the spirit, and this is the divide that I find most challenging and troubling at this point in our larger culture.

Differences between policies, parties and politics are nothing new and are, in fact, a necessary part of the process. But the divide between our human/spiritual natures at our best and those of our current debased discourse and ethos runs much deeper than political differences — and I believe that is what is hardest and most discouraging for us right now.

I shared with students that I was once in a Meeting for Worship many years ago when a young man stood up to rail against what he called “religious people.” He shared his anger at their arrogance, hypocrisy, judgment, exclusion, even violence. As a religious person, his words were hard for me to hear, but I recognized the type of person he spoke of.

But as I sat in Meeting that day, I thought of the people in my life who had so inspired me as people of spirit. People like my mother and grandmother, a monk who meant a lot to me in my adolescence as a teacher and many Quakers during my career. These people of the spirit, who truly embodied the inner light we speak of, were the opposite of the folks described by this young man. They were humble, hospitable, encouraging, honest about uncertainty and always open to new understanding. They radiated a sense of grounded peace and patience. This, to me, is the terrain of the spirit. This is the essence of our truest identities.

In this past year, we have been abraded by divisiveness, exclusion, insult and a pitting of one group against another. At its best, our country mirrors our spiritual gifts, with aspirational values of human dignity, faith in the future, our story as a nation of hopeful, contributing immigrants, respect for religious differences and a vision of peaceful, productive diversity. It is from such a grounded sense of possibility and hope that we find the strength to address the difficult issues of justice, changing economies and global challenges. It is from this aspiration that we inspire hope around the world and hope in ourselves.

I am grateful, and I know our students, families, faculty and staff are, too, that our community is steeped in these spiritual gifts, aspirations and values. We are strong in the spirit so as to be ready to make a better world. Our students responded thoughtfully to this message and I am impressed that they understood it so readily, a testament to the partnership between your home and our school community.

Finally, I want to say that it is important that we adults are grounded and strong for our children, even as we struggle mightily on all sides of the political spectrum. Our children need to know that this is a world of inexhaustible goodness, that ours is a country of extraordinary vision and innovation and that we respect the political process on which we are founded.

Our path toward justice and peace is often beset by deep challenge, but as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. noted, the long arc of history bends toward justice. As part of our support of you as parents, we are planning an evening at the Meetinghouse in the coming week, at a time to be announced, to provide a chance to connect, reflect and share for those who are struggling after our long election season.

I am grateful for the deep grounding of our community and our shared commitment to essential values. May we find a place of inner peace from which to effectively engage the wider world around us.

All the best,

 

Rich Nourie

Head of School