Have you sat and watched ants on an ant hill? No? Well, clearly you were not a student at MSLF and obviously haven’t yet had the pleasure of doing an observation of your child’s classroom yet.

It is the most incredible thing, watching those queens of the classroom (the teachers) guide their little worker ants throughout the day. At first glance, it appears like total chaos- they.are.everywhere. But when you look more closely you see that somehow, it is all a well-organized system of determined little worker ants and that queen is always at the center. Each of them has a mission, they know exactly what they are supposed to do and how to do it.

Did you know…despite having the title of “queen” that she does not delegate tasks to the worker ants? Sound familiar??? The worker ants choose their tasks based on their own personal preference. And that as a colony, ants work together as a “super mind” to solve complex problems or make decisions that benefit the entire colony? Seriously. That’s true. Ms. Whitney, Mr. Brandon, back me up here.

So, every year, when my eyes widen in disbelief inside that Observation Room and I predictably describe the goings-on of the classroom as an ant hill to my husband, Jason-- I am absolutely right (and super smart). Our children are ants! Not only are they always seemingly underfoot and at times pesky, when they are in their ant hill, they are doing exactly what their job is to do: contribute to their community.

It is this sense of purpose, contribution and community that makes this school so special. At its core are the staff, the teachers- our queens! But it is also each family who has chosen to be part of this MSLF community: who values and respects one another, models compassion and empathy, honors curiosity and encourages a passion for learning.

The MSLF education is not simply the classroom academics, it’s not preparing them for the next test or homework assignment. MSLF is the education of the whole child and prepares them for life. So, when you hear yourself saying, “Of course you can help me make dinner!” or “You did such a great job putting on your own shoes, would it be more comfortable if you tried them on the other foot?” or “Wow wow wow! That outfit you picked out looks so colorful with all the different patterns, and oh! shorts over your pants!”-- you know you are part of something much bigger. You are partnering with your child’s teacher to continue the lessons they have learned at school; it is their foundation for whatever is next. We are all part of this community who want our kids to grow to be engaged, curious, thoughtful, independent, kind, well-prepared learners in this world…and with a strong pincer grip!

MSLF also has a thriving parent community, likely part of the reason you ended up here. The parents here intentionally model the type of pro-active community members we want our children to grow into by attending school events (I see you!), participating in Parent- Child work sessions, volunteering as Room Parents and working with the MPO. Aaaand they also volunteer their time to work on our school’s Board of Directors (see what I did there?).

I would like to take a minute to recognize the members of this year’s Board of Directors who volunteer their time (and talents!) to support MSLF. I know not everyone was able to attend tonight but if you are here, will you please stand:

Jaimeen Brahmbhatt, Mary Coduti, Johanna DeYoung , Linda Fraunhofer, Carolyn Gorowski, Lauren Kugler, Nathan Hintz, Christian Mattis, Ivana Naeymi-Rad, Matt Nielsen, Laniel Razdolsky, Emily Van Bel, our Secretary, Larry Falbe, Treasurer, Kelly Dunn Rynes and Vice President, Riley O’Neil.

But the core of this school, the reason why your children love coming to school and working hard on their little ant hill each day is without question, because of the teachers and the staff. I could go on and on and on about the unbelievably dedicated, intelligent, hardworking, creative, and loving people we have at our school, but instead I will let our incredibly dedicated, smart, hardworking, loving Executive Director, Hope Allegretti, introduce you to these amazing people who are the heart of this community. Thank you.