August 2022
Dear Summit Family,
Last year, we celebrated our 25th school year, a year highlighted by inspiring student successes reflecting our “whole-child” focus at Summit. To name a few…our high school musical theater class wrote and performed their own original musical; our athletics program grew leaps and bounds--including the addition of lacrosse and cheerleading teams, and a burst of Summit pride filled our gym with near record attendance at home basketball games. Additionally, our students continued their tremendous academic growth, a trend that is increasingly setting Summit apart across the state. Capping off the year, 15 Summit seniors walked across the stage of the Summit Center as our first-ever high school graduates, and did so with distinction. 100% of our graduates earned admission to college with altogether over $400,000 in scholarships. This year, 12 of our 15 alumni will go off to college, 2 will take their talents to the workforce, and 1 will join the military. We are so very proud of them.
In finishing their time at Summit, our alumni now stand on their own, though they will very much remain part of our Summit Family. We expect new trajectories of growth fostered through new experiences. We expect both successes, and yes, moments of failure. And, in turn, as a school, we expect to continue to learn, grow, and improve through their experiences. Their paths ahead, after all, are the truest measure of the success of our mission.
So, in positioning Summit for the next 25 years, we strive to anticipate the world our students will continually enter into, and nurture the same mission and values that have enabled Summit’s success from our earliest years on the Village Green 25 years ago.
In this next year, our students will read millions of words, and craft their own written word through stories and arguments; they will solve complex problems and master essential skills. Their classrooms will extend from our “school house” on Mitten Lane to the wonders of the world beyond--from the awe-inspiring Teton Mountains in Wyoming for 9th grade orientation, to each grade summiting a peak across the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the acres of woodlands just outside our classroom doors. They’ll show teamwork in sports, perform choral numbers… and maybe even produce another original musical! They will be held to high standards, and encouraged each day to live out our Seven Virtues. And on May 20, our 9 seniors in the Class of 2023 will become Summit’s second-ever graduating high school class, leaving their very own unique legacy on our school.
We will, in short, seek to foster the limitless potential of a Summit education. An education that reaches the whole-child, and that is centered on excellence in academics, strength of character, and engagement in community.
These principles are our greatest assets and source of wisdom to guide us forward. In an ever-changing world….these are our constants. Being faithful stewards of Summit’s mission is our principal responsibility. We will seek always to position our students at the center of learning, in concert with our community, in touch with their heart and character as people. We will strive to position our students to lead.
In this time, and always, our world needs leaders who are honest, respectful, responsible, compassionate, self-disciplined, persevering, and giving. Our little school here in Cashiers has an important place and a purpose in this world.
We appreciate your support in helping to nurture Summit to thrive on the same principles and values that have given our school purpose for 25 years. Your belief and generosity is making a tremendous difference in our students’ lives.
With deepest gratitude,
Kurt