Hi, for those of you who don’t yet know me. I am Dr. McDuffie. I am the new Head of School, and I am so very happy to be here with you today at my first community gathering. Today is a special day because we are celebrating Founder’s Day and Patriot Day.  

Today, we remember Patriot Day, a special day to honor and thank the brave people who helped others during a difficult time in our country's history. You might notice the flag flying at half-mast, which means it's lowered as a way to show respect for those who are no longer with us. On this day, we think about the everyday heroes—like firefighters and police officers, who worked to keep people safe. It's a way for us to remember how important it is to be kind and to help one another just like the heroes in our community.

Today is also Founder’s Day, so I am going to talk about a very specific and special hero—the founder of The Pegasus School, Dr. Laura Hathaway.

I was walking around the campus this summer and came upon this quote by Dr. Hathaway that I want to share with you: “Building Wings offers us a chance to learn what we are capable of, try things we did not think we could do, and succeed beyond our wildest dreams.” 

When I think about this quote, I think about a few Habits of Mind that Dr. Hathaway probably embraced when she made this statement and as a founder of The Pegasus School.   

How do we build wings? How do we have the courage to try things we didn’t think we could do? What are the habits that we need to succeed beyond our wildest dreams?

There are many ways for us to build our wings! 

Today I want to talk about one of the ways or habits we need to build wings so we can soar: the habit of….responding with wonderment and awe. 

Over the last few months I have been in awe of our school. I am in awe of the teachers who worked diligently to prepare for your return to school, creating lessons for you that will be engaging and help you to build those  wings that Dr. Hathaway referred to.  

Over the last few months I wondered many things about what it would be like once school started. I wondered:

How am I going to remember the names of everyone I am meeting? 

I wondered about how carpool works?  

What happens at community gatherings and back to school nights?    

 

You might also have some similar wonderings about school or about the world. Before school started you might have wondered:

Will I make a new friend?

Who will be in my class? 

How will I open my locker?

 

Sometimes I wonder about the world around me, and I wonder:   

If animals can talk to each other?

How do fish breathe underwater?

What will school be like in the future?

How does AI work?

Will time travel ever be possible?

  

I encourage you to look around, what do you see? Pay close attention to the sounds that you hear, then think about your observations, develop your wonderings, and begin to respond to the world around you with a sense of awe.  

I would encourage you to share your wonderings with your parents, your teachers, and your friends—you can write them down, draw pictures, or just share them verbally.  

Remember Dr. Hathaway probably wondered, “What would it be like if I started a school?” and here we are today. Her wondering became a reality that all of us get to enjoy and benefit from each and every day. Thank you to Dr. Hathaway, our school founder and our very own hero.