Welcome Back

I want to begin by thanking all of you for a great start to the 2009-10 school year! In my 20+ years as a headmaster, it’s hard to remember another school year that kicked off so smoothly. We made some changes to orientation this year, and I think they were well received. I know those of you who have children at the Upper School appreciated the opportunity to get everything done under one roof … in an air-conditioned space!

 

I am still in awe when I think about the Middle School Ribbon Cutting Ceremony that took place on the first day of school. The amphitheater area behind the new building provided a beautiful space for the entire Middle School student body and faculty to gather together and celebrate. We are grateful to City of Rome Mayor Wright Bagby (’63), Chamber of Commerce CEO Al Hodge, and Chairman of our Board of Trustees Frank Stegall (’62) for being a part of this momentous occasion.

 

We realize that morning traffic at the Middle and Upper School campuses is a bit of a frustration for parents, so please know that we are looking at ways to alleviate this issue. We thank you for your patience and your civility as we all work together to find the best solution. If you are an Upper School parent, please be sure to drop your child(ren) off at the Huffman Center or Trippeer parking lot only. Entering the main gate by the lake and dropping students off in front of Wilcox Hall only creates more complications by adding an additional line of traffic that is trying to exit on to Cave Spring Road.

 

Thanks to all of you who have already shared your thoughts regarding our registration and orientation processes for each division. We always enjoy hearing your feedback, so if you have comments or suggestions, please contact your respective division director.

 

As you know, my last blog focused on the exciting new addition to our campus and its environmentally friendly features. I’d like to end this installment by sharing with you a few things we are doing school wide as part of our initiative to make Darlington a “greener” campus. This summer, we went from having 120 copiers and printers on campus to having 33 centrally located machines, 28 of which are multi-functional and energy efficient. Additionally, all machines automatically duplex, which will significantly reduce our paper usage. And thanks to funds raised through Darlington’s Second Century Campaign, we were also able to replace windows in our boys’ houses to make these older buildings much more energy efficient.  

 

In our effort to conserve resources, you will also notice that some of our publications will be a little different this year. For instance, Darlington Magazine no longer contains full obituaries; these are now available online only via the Alumni page of our Web site. The Honor Roll of Donors, which will recognize everyone who made a contribution to Darlington in 2008-09 through the Annual Fund or Second Century Campaign, will be available exclusively online this year. We are also revamping the Darlington Directory to include directory information only; student photographs will be available online in a printable, color format. We appreciate your support in these and other future endeavors as we continue to be good stewards of Darlington’s fiscal resources.
 

Tom