Why We Believe in Transform
Source/Author: Mike Murphy, Headmaster
April 27, 2018
We want Shorecrest to be the place where children are inspired to learn, are with teachers who will stretch their imaginations, and are with peers who will be trusted and interesting friends. We expect school to prepare children for the future. We want school to expand upon the virtues and core values that parents teach their young children and adolescents.
A great education teaches us enough about the past and present so we can look the future in the eye and say, “I want to help shape that and whatever comes next.” A great education teaches us to ask questions and to learn to think about opportunities that most people find unimaginable: Artificial Intelligence, driverless cars, reusable spaceships, rockets that reduce the time of travel, cures for cancer, peace…
What do these beliefs have to do with the Transform Campaign? Everything. Many of us want a school in St. Petersburg that will not only inspire lifelong learning and provide students with the readiness skills for college but also allow students and families to have experiences as a community and as learners that are Transformational. I want Shorecrest to be the magnet for any family and student who wants to Be More.
We want the students and families who are not satisfied with fill in the blank, stay inside the lines, textbook memorization, no play, no mistakes and no imagination schools. We want children and families who want to engage with a diverse community of inspired learners. We want to build on the strong community climate that has been developed, and strengthen it by having students of all ages engage in academic, athletics, arts and service together.
We want our students and teachers to have facilities that rival those of any school in the country. We want facilities that become the “third teacher” because they encourage creativity and interaction. We want facilities that are flexible so that teachers and children can teach and learn in settings best suited for the wide range of activities in which they will engage.
We want great, and we know great does not come without a price. 100 families have made gifts and pledges to move Transform from a vision to a reality. 100 more families and then 100 more and 100 more and 100 more and we will have the dining room, food service, technology centers, libraries, Experiential School, playspaces, outdoor theatres, art rooms, music rooms, Spanish classroom, Wonder Studio and space to expand in the future. Shorecrest alone can’t afford Transform, but the Shorecrest Community can!
We have the chance to do something special for the current and future children and families of this community. Join us. Contact Michael Gillis. Contact any Board member. Contact me. We want to hear how you can help be a part of the Transformation happening at Shorecrest.
Cheers!
Mike
