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Dear Keystonians,  

As you walk past the windows of the High School Library you can see a quote from Oscar Wilde in the frosted glass: “Quotation is an acceptable form of wit.” With that in mind, for this week’s letter, I will start with some wise words from our Founding Executive Head of School, Mr. Malcolm McKenzie. He wrote these words in the early years of the school in this same space--his “loopy letter” as he called it-- describing the importance of Experiential Learning at Keystone:  

“Why do we go away from school? For many reasons. One, to learn in a different setting, and in new ways. Two, to find out more about the remarkable heritage of our country. Three, to link travel experiences to what we learn in school. Four, to build community between students and teachers. Five, to challenge ourselves in novel ways and to reflect together on that process. Six, to feel the pulse of life and learning through our fingertips. Seven, to serve. Eight, to be relatively unplugged from our digital world for a few days. The list goes on. These are just a few of the lessons we learn.”? 

As they were dreaming up our school, Malcolm and other founding leaders believed deeply in the value of experiential learning as a core element of Keystone’s educational framework. Greatly impacted by the work of visionary educator Kurt Hahn, Malcom knew that for a school to be a transformative place for young people, it must push the traditional boundaries of learning and nudge children into the unfamiliar outside the walls of the campus.  

Malcolm’s personal and professional educational pedigree has deep connections to the thinking and learning of Mr. Kurt Hahn who founded Atlantic College, the first United World College where years later, Malcom later served as Headmaster. Malcom also served as a leader of the Round Square organization, of which Keystone Academy is now a member. Round Square is one of many organizations across the world founded on the ideals that Hahn extolled about such as internationalism, adventure, leadership, and service.  

In the early part of the 20th century, Hahn was a visionary for his commitment to these ideals and the programs and schools he had a role in founding have sent out ripples that have impacted millions of children around the world, including each of our Keystone students.  

In 2015 Malcom also wrote about the research of the scholar Paul Tough who is best known for his 2012 book called How Children Succeed: grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character. Tough (with a perfect last name for his scholarship!) argues that it is the pushing of children outside their comfort zones that is the key to developing success later in life (not to mention joy in their lives as children). This happens at our school every day, and these ELPs or “weeks without walls” as some schools call them, are a core strategy in this direction.  

At Keystone, teachers and families believe in these strategies and choose Keystone because these experiences are built into the system of teaching and learning. In his own words, Hahn said that “[e]ducation must enable young people to effect what they have recognized to be right, despite hardships, despite dangers, despite inner skepticism, despite boredom, and despite mockery from the world.”? 

This is indeed a lofty view of why we create these experiences for the students at Keystone, and it gives our hard work purpose and meaning. I am grateful for the sacrifices of time and treasure of our teachers and families to make these experiences happen. While most grade levels are preparing for their ELP week, an intrepid group of 8th graders and their teachers are headed back to Beijing from their second week of the small group time at our Rural Education Center in Sishui. At the start of our school’s second decade, this work inspired by our founders, inspired by Kurt Hahn and others, will continue to grow and flourish.  

Wishing you and yours a happy weekend,  

Emily