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Take a Risk, Try Something New
Sep 30, 2013 8:41 PM
By Kim Tunnell - Faculty
The first six weeks of school have been incredible. I am amazed by all that is happening on the Darlington campus. The creativity is astounding and the passion for the arts is truly alive and well. As I walk back and forth from Thatcher Hall to the Upper School (sometimes three and four times each day), I am thrilled to see the excitement for learning and all of the many ways that our students and teachers are sharing passion for visual arts, music and theater.
We have many new programs and initiatives, and students are excited to be a part of it all. Take a walk upstairs in Thatcher Hall and see all of the wonderful artwork outside the art studio. Stroll through the Commons during the Arts Block at 12:50 p.m. one day and listen to the Orchestra. It will warm your heart to see and hear these incredible accomplishments in our ELA-8 division. At the Upper School, visit any of the journalism, visual art and chorus classes. Or stop by to hear the wind ensemble rehearse. In each of these places, you will find students excited and passionate about what they are doing "in the moment."
Today, I heard something from one of our seniors who has decided to participate in many new things in his final year at Darlington. This student is a member of the band and the Concert Choir on top of being a leader in his dorm. He told me that he plans to try out for the winter musical and that "he hates that he waited until his senior to try these new things." I hear this every year.
I am so glad that students are willing to take risks, but would love to see them not wait until the last minute. My ultimate goal is to encourage our students to try something new and take a risk somewhere along the way. There is so much to choose from and I truly believe that our fine arts program instructors are the best of the best.
These are experiences that will stay with our students for a lifetime and connect them to Darlington like so many of the alumni who came back to visit this past weekend. Talking with these alumni, I was reminded of the real importance of the fine arts offerings that we have at Darlington. The skills you learn in a theater class might not guarantee you will win an Emmy one day, but they will give you the self-confidence to give a speech in your college communications class and, ultimately, help you land your dream job. Being a member of the wind ensemble might not lead you to become a concert oboist, but it will teach you to be a team player in the workplace and help you to discover solutions to unexpected problems that may come your way.
All of the experiences our students have at Darlington matter and will impact who they will become. So students, take the risk, dig dip and try something that you've always wanted to do. Now is the time!
We have many new programs and initiatives, and students are excited to be a part of it all. Take a walk upstairs in Thatcher Hall and see all of the wonderful artwork outside the art studio. Stroll through the Commons during the Arts Block at 12:50 p.m. one day and listen to the Orchestra. It will warm your heart to see and hear these incredible accomplishments in our ELA-8 division. At the Upper School, visit any of the journalism, visual art and chorus classes. Or stop by to hear the wind ensemble rehearse. In each of these places, you will find students excited and passionate about what they are doing "in the moment."
Today, I heard something from one of our seniors who has decided to participate in many new things in his final year at Darlington. This student is a member of the band and the Concert Choir on top of being a leader in his dorm. He told me that he plans to try out for the winter musical and that "he hates that he waited until his senior to try these new things." I hear this every year.
I am so glad that students are willing to take risks, but would love to see them not wait until the last minute. My ultimate goal is to encourage our students to try something new and take a risk somewhere along the way. There is so much to choose from and I truly believe that our fine arts program instructors are the best of the best.
These are experiences that will stay with our students for a lifetime and connect them to Darlington like so many of the alumni who came back to visit this past weekend. Talking with these alumni, I was reminded of the real importance of the fine arts offerings that we have at Darlington. The skills you learn in a theater class might not guarantee you will win an Emmy one day, but they will give you the self-confidence to give a speech in your college communications class and, ultimately, help you land your dream job. Being a member of the wind ensemble might not lead you to become a concert oboist, but it will teach you to be a team player in the workplace and help you to discover solutions to unexpected problems that may come your way.
All of the experiences our students have at Darlington matter and will impact who they will become. So students, take the risk, dig dip and try something that you've always wanted to do. Now is the time!
