Head of Upper School Scott Small addressed US students, faculty, and staff on the first day of school, welcoming everyone back and setting the tone for the year. Because Small works with teenagers every day and is a father of two daughters himself, he’s keenly aware of the current zeitgeist: The Eras Tour. Even if you’re not a Swiftie, you can’t deny the impact this series of events has had on American life, media, and culture.
Recently, Swift announced the remaking of her 1989 album, and Small tapped into the enthusiasm and spirit of our intrepid Upper School teachers to amuse and delight their students. A call to faculty and staff before school began netted a goldmine of photographs featuring late 80s hairstyles and clothing. Our students enthusiastically appreciated seeing younger versions of some of the adults in our community, who, to this writer’s great delight, gave us permission to share their photographic treasures with you.
Scott Small, Head of Upper School, |
Mr. Small today, in his Eras Tour. Or as he titled it in his presentation: Small’s Version. |
Art Teacher Brad Heinemann |
No tie required for Mr. Heinemann to be a great teacher! |
History Teacher Alex Rolnick wasn’t yet a student himself in 1989. |
Mr. Rolnick sports a similar hairstyle today |
English Teacher Courtney Check with her brother and, she said, “a brand new perm.” |
Ms. Check today, sans perm. |
Matt Essman, Director of College Counseling, rocks a rugby shirt. |
Today, Mr. Essman guides students to college and hits the links instead of the pitch. |
Tex Tourais, English Teacher, sported some braces back in seventh grade. |
Clearly, those braces paid off. Great smile, Mr. Tourais! |
Science Teacher Rachel Tourais embraced 80s style in seventh grade. |
Today, Ms. Tourais shares her love of science with her students. |
English Teacher Ryan Bueckendorf considered a career in the Navy as a tot. |
We’re glad Mr. Bueckendorf serves instead on the good ship MICDS. |
Glamorous Spanish Teacher Kelly Weidenmiller made sure her ribbons matched. |
Ms. Weidenmiller ditched the ribbons but brings enthusiasm to the classroom every day. |
Upper School Library Assistant Aaron Elliott at the Academy Awards. Fancy! |
Countless students are adoring fans |
Something tells us Assistant to the Head of Upper School Samantha White was running her elementary school. |
Thanks for keeping everything going here at MICDS, Ms. White! |
Our brand new US Dean, Melanie Duffy, didn’t hesitate to share her 1989 self. |
Glad to see you’re fitting right in, Ms. Duffy. And that you still love yellow shirts! |
Erin Hamill, Director of Global Learning & Upper School Community Service, sporting the essence of the 80s: a Swatch Watch. |
Ms. Hamill has probably updated her timepiece since 1989, which is good considering everything she juggles! |
History Teacher Dr. Tanya Roth took the world seriously back then. |
Rumor has it that Dr. Roth is considering going back to her totally rad 80s hairstyle. |
Math Teacher Al Begrowicz hung out with other people in another state in 1989. |
We’re sure glad Mr. B ended up right here in St. Louis. |
History Teacher Kristin Roberts |
How much time do you spend on that decade in U.S. History, Ms. Roberts? |
Someone ask World Languages Teacher Robin Begley how to say “1989” in Spanish. |
Hola, Senora Begley! Welcome to 2023! |
Science Teacher Stephanie Matteson |
Ms. Matteson is still very excited about learning. |
Science Teacher Christine Pickett |
Different pose, but Ms. Pickett looks exactly the same! |
World Languages Teacher Christopher Barker was but a wee babe back in 1989. |
Mr. Barker is one of the few teachers whose hairstyle has remained largely the same. |
Diane Broberg, JK-12 Math Department Chair, has fond memories from 1989. |
It doesn’t take long for Ms. Broberg to calculate how long she’s been married. |
English Teacher Dr. Julia Hansen admits that her 1989 glasses were just for show. |
Today, Dr. Hansen’s glasses are real, and, dare we say, much more stylish. |
This Math Teacher eliminated the need for us to caption his photo with his name. |
Mr. Ludbrook hasn’t changed much in 34 years, but he does have updated identification. |
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Science Teacher Travis Menghini reminds everyone that he was -6 in 1989. |
Well done, Mr. Menghini. |
After the students enjoyed this slide show, Small got down to business, sharing his thoughts on how the MICDS Upper School can have a great 2023-2024 school year.
According to Small, there are valuable lessons to be learned from Ms. Swift and her $6B juggernaut. Lessons from The Eras:
- The value of time. Ms. Swift has a countdown clock on the stage at every one of her performances, and she began her show promptly on time each and every night. This shows respect for her audience and for the people who work to support her shows, including stage managers, construction workers, truck drivers, and vendors. Small noted that it’s important for students to show respect for teachers and the learning process given the preparation that our educators put into having meaningful lessons/activities, and the disruption that being late causes to the learning for everyone.
- The value of your own work. Ms. Swift sings her own songs at every concert, an average of 44 songs per show for a total of three-plus hours of singing at 146 stadium dates over 20 months (and counting!). She wasn’t lip-syncing, either, as evidenced by sometimes making a lyrical mistake, laughing at herself, and continuing her performance. In a world full of artificial intelligence resources that make it easy to delegate your work to a bot, stand out and do your own work. Seize the education that is being offered to you because you’re only cheating yourself in the long run if you outsource your brain.
- The importance of taking care of those who support your success. Ms. Swift has a crew dedicated to making her concerts happen. Caterers, truck drivers, riggers, dancers, and more are all necessary for a successful production, night after night, week after week. They’ve taken time away from their families. Ms. Swift recognizes their importance to her ongoing success and gave bonuses totaling over $55 million to her support staff. None of us live, work, and learn in a vacuum. Students are successful in large part due to the efforts and gifts (of time, money, and emotional support) from parents, teachers, staff, friends, and other family. He encouraged students to show gratitude to those who enable them to learn every day and to take care of the spaces in which we all live and work and gather every day.
- The power of your voice. Here, Small shared a quote from Ms. Swift: “Words can break someone into a million pieces, but they can also put them back together. I hope you use yours for good, because the only words you’ll regret more than the ones left unsaid are the ones you use to intentionally hurt someone.” He called upon our community to support one another with words (and actions) of affirmation. Be an upstander, both in person and online, which is both permanent and public.
Now, Small acknowledges that Taylor Swift isn’t perfect (and she’d probably be the first to agree with him). She broke curfew in Santa Clara, California, with a surprise song set. One of her concerts triggered actual seismic activity. And some of her dating choices have been questionable, at least to those of us on the outside. Still, there’s something to be said for the lessons to be learned from what is arguably the biggest concert tour of all time.
Finally, Small gave the students a few moments to reflect on this question: What can I do to make MICDS the best home possible for EVERYONE this year? It’s a great question to kick off the new school year. Ask your students what they thought!