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Head's Welcome
Hello and welcome!
Ralph Waldo Emerson proclaimed “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” My enthusiasm for Sage Ridge stems from the fact that our school shares my deepest values and passions:
- developing authentic academic excellence for all learners
- creating opportunities for leadership through a wide variety of athletics, arts and activities
- fostering and supporting teaching that inspires curiosity, critical thinking, and innovation
- supporting a school culture that guides every child's development through our pillars of Scholarship, Respect, Integrity, Courage, and Community
The spirit of our mission reaches out locally and globally as our students and alumni engage in making a difference in the world. Our community spirit connects us as we work together to support a great learning environment so our students can thrive. That same spirit connects us to our wider community through service, partnerships and good will.
Building on these strong foundations is critical in preparing our students for the future. Innovations in neuroscience and advances in psychology are deepening our understanding of what works in education. Even as the skills and dispositions needed for taking on the challenges of the future shift, we are recognizing that the core is still developing intellectual character in liberal arts and sciences. This is so critical thinking and engaged citizens are honed as they become life-long learners. A Sage Ridge education sets all our students on a path to make a difference well past graduation - applying courageous scholarship with integrity and respect to contribute to their communities.
If you are new to our community or considering joining us, please explore our site and social media and then visit us to see for yourself why our community is a perfect place to learn, grow and succeed.
Enthusiastically,
Tobin S. Bechtel, Head of School
Our Mission:
Sage Ridge School graduates curious and confident citizens who embrace rigorous scholarship, respect the dignity of individuals, choose integrity, embody courage, cultivate a compassionate community, and ultimately thrive in college and in our global society.
Recent Notes from the Head
Earlier this week I explored the idea of nurturing a growth mindset with our Grade 9 seminar students. This is a theory that has been developed and researched for over thirty years by Stanford professor, Carol Dweck...
Nineteen years ago our world was a very different place. In some senses we had been isolated from the world and felt safe before terrorism came directly to our shores. It was the first attack directly on United States territory since 1942. It is events like 9/11 that often define a generation...
As we come to the end of our third week in session, I am grateful that we have been able to start off well. This year will be different. And these differences will impact us all but in many different ways...
When we are deluged with data and a plethora of perspectives it is all too easy to be cynical and pessimistic. We tend to simplify and reinforce our beliefs with information and opinions that correlate with what we already believe...
In Muir Woods there is a wonderful place of peace called Cathedral Grove. Ancient redwood trees are natural columns and spires that reach higher, and have been around longer than most manmade cathedrals...
The pandemic has provoked reflection at all levels of education - not only how we approach it but also what we value in teaching and learning for our future. Through all the debate over whether schools will open or not in the coming weeks, we need to really focus on what education will be for our children...
It is incredibly important today that we do not build on fear. This is all too easy to do when we are inundated with contrary claims that advocate for wildly different measures and algorithms channel information to us based on our ‘preferences’ through past searches...
As we prepare campus for reopening and welcome back teachers next week, I have been concentrating on the pragmatic and the practical. And while the practical is critical to consider, I was reminded during our parent webinars that the purpose is that much more important...