Orientation for the Upper School marked the end of the summer vacation on Thursday, September 1. But, as students filled in from the three month break to start the 2016-17 school year, they were not ushered into the usual four locations designated by grade to be oriented by their Grade Heads.

Instead, the entire high school entered the Auditorium to be greeted by the Upper School faculty as well as Interim Upper School Division Head Ruth Jurgensen, who agreed to take the position last year after Peter Neissa resigned from the post. Jurgensen began by welcoming everyone to the start of the new school year, and gave an optimistic, passionate speech about how she looks forward to the year ahead.

The main buzz word of Jurgensen’s address was “integrity.” She focused on how students in the Upper School are setting examples for the younger children, and how important it is for everyone to demonstrate honesty and moral rectitude.  

“I think integrity is all you have,” Jurgensen said afterwards. “You guys work too hard to be divisive and frustrated with each other. We just want a happy environment. And we want a functioning Upper School, of course. But I really think that just building community is a real goal, and through integrity we can do that.”

Jurgensen went on in her speech to clarify that nobody is perfect and that mistakes are inevitable, but that “we” will be here to lead students to the path of integrity should they slip off. Then she explained that the “we” she referenced included herself, the principal, and the entire Upper School faculty and staff. For approximately twenty minutes that followed, Parker teachers and staff took turns introducing themselves to the student body to sometimes thunderous applause, breaking the post-vacation quiet in the room.

“I thought that our introduction to the year was positive and open-minded,” junior Grace Buono said. “While some of the messages were the same ones we hear every year, the administration seemed ready for a new school year filled with room for change and feedback.”

Jurgensen has wanted to start the year off with this Morning Exercise as long as she has been at Parker. “I like to get kids together and see them all in the room and deliver a message so we start on the same page,” she said. “And I also like celebrating faculty and staff, making sure that everybody sees who’s working on their behalf.”

The message of this MX–and its mere addition–suggested to some in attendance that the Parker Administration was scrambling to show a united front after the divisive issues the school dealt with last year, but Jurgensen emphatically denied that this Morning Ex was in any way a response to events of the past year or two years. “There’s nothing new about it,” she said. “I always believe in authenticity, transparency, and integrity. It was just a really nice opportunity to share it with you all.”