It’s hard to believe it has already been a year at SJS. I remember the sense of warmth and joy I felt when I walked into the school for the first time, as a guest at the 2025 Graduation. It was like that feeling you get on the first sunny day in Spring, and I felt a warmth from the community right from the outset.
Those perceptions remain as true today as they did on that first visit. If anything, they have strengthened thanks to the incredible staff I’ve had the opportunity to work with and the students who fill our halls with their energy and enthusiasm. I still walk through the main door, excited to be here, and be a part of their journey.
It Takes a Village
It is a clichéd sentiment, but to say that we’re all a part of this village to care for our students would be an understatement. I can’t help but admire the way our staff truly put the students first. They work to their fullest capacity, and often even beyond, every day. And with such pride in what we do. It’s been a privilege to work with this team.
That commitment is especially evident when our alumni return. While I may not personally know those who graduated before my arrival, seeing them come back to visit teachers who have made a lasting impact is a powerful reminder of the genuine care and investment our educators bring to every lesson. The appropriate level of challenge, academic rigour and desirable difficulties embedded within the IB programme help develop strength and resilience.
With the privilege of hindsight, alumni are often able to articulate the benefits they continue to reap long after leaving school. It is a delight to hear how proud they are of the skills they developed and refined during their time at SJS, and perhaps even more so to hear the sound of belonging that remains when they return.
Seeing how our programs continued to serve them after they left school, and hearing the gratitude they express toward the teachers who helped them build those vital skills and believed in them, makes me incredibly proud to be part of SJS.
Partners in Education
I want to especially thank the students for this first year, for being patient and giving me the grace to learn about their SJS experience. Learning a full school of names is a bit tricky, and I promise it’s an ongoing goal. It’s why I like to greet students in the morning, not only to get to know the students but also to check in on how they’re doing.
The best part of my job is when students engage: to share something silly that happened, offer a Haribo sweet, a random fact or a joke they shared with Mr. Addley. It could be to acknowledge a challenge or a celebration. That’s a part of my proudest moments so far, when students recognize that there are adults who care for the person that they are and for more than just their academics.
I wouldn’t be able to further the program if it weren’t for my dedicated colleagues and those who led before me. I’m in the fortunate position to build on the foundation they laid. The team’s connection to the students is at the heart of the SJS culture, and as Daniel Coyle once said, “Culture is a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It’s not something you are, It’s something you do.” Every member of my team are genuine partners in the SJS village, and for that, I tip my hat to them.
Over the year I have found that our transparency as a school is truly a strength. There are also structural and systematic changes that we’ve made this year that I think are great steps in the right direction. I appreciate the community we have to support our faculty and the parents we can partner with in paving a path forward for our students.
Your Smile is Your Logo
When I think of how to describe an SJS student, it’s someone who is brilliant, in every sense of the word. They shine, they are bright, talented, demonstrate ingenuity and are risk-takers. There is banter and personality, and I love hearing the lunchtime conversations when they are fearless and candid, because I don’t want them to be in a little box or feel they have to perform or project in a certain way.
SJS students wow me when it comes to everyday learning, but also with projects like the MYP Personal Project or the DP Extended Essay. The most fascinating and impressive aspect is hearing how the students got there: their learning journey, how they failed, how they overcame it, and what the process taught them. The IB has an emphasis on the process of learning not just the grade attainment for a reason.
As I shared during the 2026 Graduation, “Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card and the way you make others feel is your trademark.” No one will necessarily remember what you said, but they will remember how they made you feel, and that is a more powerful legacy than anything else.
How we represent ourselves, and by extension how we represent the school, is how people will remember us. I look forward to continuing to grow that mentality with, and alongside, students in the years moving forward.
Overall I am so excited to continue building the strength of SJS. Celebrating 40 years next year I think acknowledges how far this school has come and the things that we have accomplished. I am looking forward to helping that grow even further in the future.
