Weekly Message from Head of School 2025/4/7-2025/4/12
Happy Friday!?
Please stay safe in this weekend’s strong winds!
Last week, I had the privilege of accompanying some of our eighth graders on their?Experiential Learning Program (ELP)?trip to Keystone’s?Rural Education Center?in Sishui, Shandong Province. This initiative, launched years ago under?Malcolm McKenzie’s leadership?and in inspired by the work of Stanford’s?Rural Education Action Program (REAP), reflects Keystone’s commitment to deepening our?Chinese Thread?through meaningful, sustained collaboration with communities beyond Houshayu.?
When selecting a location, Keystone’s founders sought a rural area accessible within half a day by train—one where students could both learn from and contribute to local revitalization efforts. After renovating a village courtyard home, the?Rural Education Center?opened in fall 2022. Following exploratory visits by teachers and leaders during the 2022-23 school year, the center hosted its?first Grade 8 ELP in spring 2024.?
This year, under the guidance of?Head of Middle School Dr. Houming Jiang?and?Grade 8 Level Leaders Ms. Suren Cao and Mr. Gareth Haylins, the program evolved into a?nine-week rotation, with small groups of 20 students and teachers traveling to Sishui each week. This model fosters deeper immersion, stronger relationships among students and teachers, and a more enduring connection with the community.?
The week blends?educational tourism—visits to Confucius’ ancestral home and local revitalization projects—with?community service. This year’s focus was a partnership with an elderly care home in a newly developed compound. While the students meticulously planned activities (like card games, slime-making, and sketching for residents with hearing/speech challenges), the most magical moments emerged spontaneously.?
One highlight? A wayward bouncy ball sailed toward a grandfather leaning on his railing—only for him to surprise everyone by batting it back! By the next day, students and elders were locked in a lively game, laughing under the spring sun. Another unforgettable scene: our student artist’s quick sketches lit up the grandparents’ faces as they saw themselves reflected in her drawings.?
These experiences don’t just create joy—they?reorganize perspectives. To step intentionally into another community is to begin understanding it, and in doing so, our students grow while leaving their own imprint. As?Dr. Jim Scott?(longtime head of Punahou School) often said: our purpose is to?“make another life better.”?Last week, in the shared smiles of students and elders, I saw that mission alive.?
Warmly,
Emily
