Reflecting on this past year, I am incredibly proud of the efforts of so many to take the quality of our students’ experiences in all areas of school life to new heights. A mixture of our faculty’s innovative uses of Washington’s impressive resources, an enhanced focus on the residential component of student life, an exciting expansion of our support for health and wellness initiatives, and outstanding student leadership both in and outside the classroom combined to make the 2022-23 school year one for the history books. All of these special ingredients were made possible by the dedication and generosity of all in our school family — faculty and staff, students, parents, alumni, and special friends alike.

Our McCain-Ravenel Center guided our faculty to maximize the benefits of our newly organized weekly schedule and to incorporate new resources across the greater Washington area. Classroom teachers brought our academic program to life with over 600 distinct learning moments outside our gates and numerous visiting speakers. These journeys brought rich academic content to life, reinforced the qualities we associated with intellectual and moral courage from our Portrait of a Graduate, and connected our students with impressive leadership examples.

Having an opportunity to initiate the public phase of our Courage Campaign and celebrate the remarkable success of our initial leadership phase allowed us to highlight the transformational impact of these campaign funds thus far. With the campaign making possible the opening of two new smaller dormitories this past year and the renovation of interior spaces across all our other dorm facilities, we were reminded of just how important and powerful our residential experience can be. Our new deButts Health & Wellness Center offered our students cutting edge support and inspired an enhanced approach to wellness initiatives and health education in areas that maximize student achievement and well being.

In the midst of these campus and programmatic enhancements, our seniors also brought an inspired level of leadership and commitment in all areas of school life. Having emerged fully from the pandemic, these seniors focused on the power of community and highlighted our core values of honor, trust, respect, and kindness. They fostered a remarkable level of spirit on the campus which was bolstered by exciting moments like our football team’s IAC championship and victory over Woodberry as well as our theater program’s outstanding production of “Beauty and the Beast” last winter.

With so much having been accomplished this past year, I am reminded how fortunate we are to have such a devoted and supportive school family. The enthusiasm and generosity of our Board of Trustees, alumni, current and former parents, and so many other friends of the School play a crucial role in bringing to life all our exciting innovations and enhancements. I remain grateful for all who have helped Episcopal continue to be the very special community we all love and admire. Thanks again for all that you do for Episcopal.