Head of School

Welcome Back!

Dear Tower Hill families,
 
Welcome to The Weathervane! We hope that this weekly communication enables you to enjoy a glimpse of the many facets of Tower Hill. My message is intended to share a bit of color with you, as it will not be comprehensive in nature, but rather a way to hear a few of my thoughts on a variety of Tower Hill and education-related topics. Please feel free to send along your feedback and/or anything in particular that you are enjoying reading about education.
 
I trust that you enjoyed the splendors of summer, and it will be such fun to welcome your children back to Tower Hill as well as to welcome all our new students and families! I recently was at a Lower School grade-level gathering, and I asked a student if she was ready to come back to school. She exclaimed, "Mrs. Speers, I can't wait to come back to school. I love school, and Tower Hill is so awesome!" If we are honest, there are some of us who find the end of summer bittersweet, and while not every student (or teacher for that matter!) may have the same level of enthusiasm about the transition from summer back to school as this one does, there is indeed a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement on 17th Street right now! Great teachers and all of us who love education and schools get this feeling every year at this time.  
 
How exciting it has been to watch the Olympics, especially as we rooted on our two Tower Hill alumnae who were able to compete in Rio: field hockey player Caitlin Van Sickle ’08 and basketball star Elena Delle Donne, who attended Tower Hill through 6th Grade. I have been struck and inspired by the lovely displays of sportsmanship, most recently when Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro gave each other a heartfelt embrace after an epic four-hour battle for the gold in tennis. The Olympics represent our countries at their best, competing peacefully and respecting each other for the tenacity and tremendous training required of all our athletes. 
 
Our preseason athletes returned this week, and they are coached to understand that confidence, humility, perseverance and hard work are all part of what it takes to be part of a Tower Hill team. Our athletes also represent the school extraordinarily well around the state, and last month Tower Hill was recognized with a DIAA Sportsmanship Award for the eleventh consecutive year.   
 
Savor your last few weeks of summer. We are excited to welcome students and families back to Tower Hill, and we look forward to an amazing year together!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth C. Speers
Head of School
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