Part of what defines Gaston Day School is a group of community values that our Board of Trustees has determined. Here they are: Integrity, Compassion, Excellence, Curiosity and Creativity, Service and Generosity, Responsibility and Self-Discipline, Confidence and Courage, and Respect for Self and Others. These are the core values that we live by here, and that direct our behavior and actions.
For the last two weekly administrative team meetings (every Tuesday at 8:30 am), we have discussed ways in which specific community values inform our daily work. Today we talked about "Service and Generosity," and each administrator spoke about ways in which they see these values expressed at Gaston Day. I thought some of the remarks at this morning's meeting were so relevant, practical and encouraging that I decided to share them in this blog.
Lindsie Chapman, Director of Instructional Technology, observed that one of her best opportunities to be generous and service-minded is in her daily interactions with her customers/students/faculty. She tries to deal with their concerns and needs in a cheerful, helpful and understanding manner. The rest of the administrative team agreed that this is especially important when dealing with people who are upset or angry. We hope that our generosity and commitment to service not only helps fix problems, but also reassures and calms down people who are having a hard time. Generosity and good service build relationships of trust and kindness.
Kristin Paxton-Shaw, Director of Marketing and Communications, noted that she sees generosity and service whenever individual administrators pitch in and help each other to pull off a big event or complete a major project. Without ever being asked, often one administrator will recognize that another colleague is working under a time crunch, and generously drop whatever he or she is doing to help out. "A friend in need really is a friend indeed." Gaston Day administrators are a team, and we are at our best when we help each other, especially when someone is in a jam.
Another way in which our faculty and staff are generous is the way they attend extracurricular events and support their students in endeavors outside the classroom. So often I see one of our teachers at a game or play, and I ask them why they are there. They tell me that one of their students is a participant, and they want to support them. They choose to be there, even though they are not required to do so.
Pat Rudisill, Director of Development, pointed out how incredibly generous our donors are to the school. These donors include parents, grandparents, faculty and friends. Without the generous support from all our donors, we could not afford the outstanding facilities and faculty that we have. Thank you, donors, for your amazing generosity!!
Rebekah Bing, School Secretary, marveled at all the ways that our students are involved in community service. For example, one Gaston Day grandparent recently complimented our 5th and 6th graders after they had visited a local retirement community to sing for the residents. This Gaston Day grandparent was struck by the poise and compassion that our students displayed in their interactions with the community residents.
Do you know of other ways in which members of our school community act generously? I encourage you to share examples with me, and I hope to pass them along to others. Just talking about Generosity and Service inspires us to celebrate those qualities and become even better at exemplifying them.
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