Last year, as a part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration, we established September 28th, the day our school was officially incorporated as University High School of Indiana, as Founder’s Day. In doing this, we hope to take some time each year to remind ourselves of the spirit that started this place. Conveniently, this year and last year, Founder’s Day has fallen on a weekend, so while it is not the 28th, today, September 26th, is Founder’s Day Observed.
It is important, perhaps critically so these days, to recognize that everything we get to do here together – from mentoring to January Term, to no bells in the hallways and no locks on the lockers – started because a group of people believed high school could be something different than it was. They believed high school should and could take students seriously and center relationships at the core of the educational system. From that belief, they drafted our mission, hired Chuck and Nancy Webster, Chris and Carolyn Bradley, wrote our values, and out of nothing, literally nothing, created this place. “Where there is mud and tread marks, a gym”, as our poem says.
The rhythm of every heart beating in this room right now flows from that starting point. The very practice of a daily Community Meeting, a time when we could sit together and share experiences, celebrate our victories, find comfort during hard times, and explore new ideas, is a part of our foundational spirit. Yesterday, Stacey Summitt-Mann talked to you about our core values and specifically the core value of stewardship, of taking care of our space, of each other, and of our world. Today, we are honored to have a speaker whose work so aligns with one of the core principles of our school. I am excited to hear what he has to say and to celebrate a bit of the Indianapolis Prize at University with all of you as a part of our Founder’s Day.