Being new to a school can be difficult, but at Darlington there is always a student who wants to help that person find connections and build relationships.
This year, we have three of these special students graduating. At Darlington, we call them “head prefects.” They are among the leaders of the school and are extensions of the head of house. Along with upholding a good disciplinary standard and being in satisfactory academic standing, these students must also show initiative, self-motivation, a positive attitude and self-discipline. This year’s graduating head day prefects are Asa Crawford, O’Keefe Johnson and Megan Healy.
Longtime admission officer Lea Duncan has watched these three students grow and mature into great young people in our community. She remembers when they were in the second grade and described O’Keefe as “always smiling, enthusiastic and full of Darlington sprit.” Lea then called Megan “the epitome of a gentile Darlington lady even at 7” and Asa "an absolute gentlemen and a leader even in second grade.” Those of you who know these students know that these quotes could still be used to describe them today.
As a new parent at Darlington when these students were in Lower School, I would watch them on Mrs. Smith’s swing reading during their free period. At the time, my son, Ivy (now a freshman), was in pre-K. The pre-K students absolutely loved the "upperclassmen" because they would welcome them and make them feel special daily. The second-graders would even stop by pre-K to give a child a hug or just to welcome them to another day at Darlington.
Character education begins early at Darlington and is one of the many highlights of our program. Beginning as early as pre-K, students are having conversations about our mission statement and what it really means to "learn with passion, act with integrity and serve with respect." Mrs. Ray even taught the pre-K class a song about it, which they love to sing for classroom visitors.
I have no doubt that Asa, O'Keefe and Megan will carry with them these values and the leadership skills they acquired and honed during their Darlington careers as they move onto college and beyond. This fall, Asa plans to attend Vanderbilt University; O'Keefe, the University of Georgia; and Megan, the University of Richmond. I wish them all the best in their new endeavors and cannot wait to hear what the future holds for them. I know that they will continue to learn with passion, act with integrity and serve with respect in all that they do.
If you are interested in visiting Darlington School and learning more about our programs and the type of students we enroll, please contact me anytime.
