{"id":2532,"date":"2008-05-14T22:37:26","date_gmt":"2008-05-15T06:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm2\/2008\/05\/14\/the-tree-has-burned\/"},"modified":"2021-07-01T21:40:37","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T04:40:37","slug":"the-tree-has-burned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/2008\/05\/14\/the-tree-has-burned\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tree has Burned"},"content":{"rendered":"

My relationship with my Upper School (and Middle School for that matter) Alma Mater has been through many phases. It got started out on a really poor note when my they refused to enroll my sister for her senior year for reasons were perhaps a minor disciplinary matter.<\/p>\n

So I wrote a letter to the Headmaster. Its long, goes on about a bunch of stuff and isn’t anywhere near my best writing. But it is reproduced below for posterity and whatnot. I’ll get onto the other pieces of this tortured relationship after the break.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Mr. Brereton:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I am disappointed that I feel the need to write this letter, but I hope it
\nis the beginning of a meaningful dialogue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I was angered when I learned of the disciplinary committee’s decision not to
\nallow my sister, Lauren, attend Miami Valley for the 2000-2001 school year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

My disenchantment is shared with others at the school. You yourself felt the
\nneed to hint at it in the 1998-99 Annual Report mentioning that
\n\u201c\u2026others [have] expressed their desire for our school to maintain
\nthe core values that guided it through its early years.\u201d The shift of
\nMVS’s core values was exemplified during the 1997-1998 school year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The 1997-1998 school year was a time of many changes, the enrollment
\nincreased, but more importantly, students who attended MVS in the previous
\nyears noticed a difference in the new students. As a group we felt that the new
\nstudents were not as well prepared, and in some cases did not care as much
\nabout learning as we did. Trying to detail all the ideas and feelings that were
\npresented and argued fervently during hours of discussions over lunch and
\nclassroom tables would tax even the most cognizant of participants, but one
\nstatement sticks in my head. A trusted faculty member told me, \u201cIts not
\nthen number of students, but the quality of students…\u201d that has caused
\na change in atmosphere. The end product of these intense discussions is a
\nSquiers inspired belief that continuity and change are constants, in varying
\nproportions. Evaluating the result of a change in midstream is a futile
\neffort.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Now that I am free of the stream of change, I must assert what my colleagues
\nand I originally believed: MVS has changed for the worse, losing a significant
\nportion of its intimate and supportive atmosphere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The change my colleagues and I felt is best expressed in an obfuscated
\nversion of MVS’s mission, instead of presenting \u201c…to students of
\ndemonstrated ability a challenging program in a supportive and caring
\ncommunity\u201d, MVS now apparently seeks to first, present a challenging
\nprogram to students of demonstrated financial reserves, and second present a
\nchallenging program to students with exceptional demonstrated ability. This
\ndouble standard does<\/u> exist within MVS’s administrative actions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

My sister was expelled for being, \u201cmentally unstable\u201d or more to
\nthe point, the school falsely suspected her of abusing illegal substances, but
\ncould not prove it. According to well-respected research, which MVS was
\nsurveyed for, 55% of students have used an illegal substance before graduating
\nhigh school. By this standard over half of MVS’s students should be expelled
\neach year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

My sister was singled out for several reasons, first she is outspoken in her
\nbeliefs, and she utilizes and embodies the MVS Philosophy of striving to
\n\u201cacademic excellence and freedom while [discovering] and fulfilling [her]
\npotential.\u201d Unfortunately the first amendment allusion in this school
\npolicy does not apply when it comes to Laura Mack. Second, my sister has felt
\nheld down and singled out by Laura Mack, forcing her to endure unreasonable
\ntreatments, and criticisms. These unfair treatments have brought my sister to
\ntears on several occasions. Laura Mack has done this by attacking my family as
\nbeing dysfunctional, upon the grounds that my parents are divorced (like half
\nof all marriages) and my immediate family is dispersed over several thousand
\nmiles, a normal situation, considering the fact that thirteen years separates
\nthe oldest from the youngest sibling. None of these situations is an acceptable
\nbasis for criticism of an individual or a family. Finally, my family has fallen
\non economic misfortune that has changed the amount of money that is available
\nfor school tuition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Money unfortunately talks, and MVS tolerates the behavioral and substance
\nabuse extremes of students whose parents have the financial ability to pay
\ntuition in full, it does not tolerate lesser behavioral abnormalities of
\nstudents whose parent do not have the financial ability to pay tuition in
\nfull.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Money is the only thing that MVS appears to listen to; as a result I am
\nforced to speak with my checkbook. To this end, I will not fulfil my five-year
\npledge beyond my most recent donation. This pains me, because I feel a personal
\nneed to support the school that supported and nurtured me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

In painful sincerity,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Nicholas Barnard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

MVS Class of 1999<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Johnston, L.D., O’Malley, P.M., & Bachman, J.G. [book on-line] The
\nMonitoring the Future National survey results on adolescent drug use: Overview
\nof key findings, 1999<\/i> (Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse,
\n2000, accessed 21 June 2000); available from http:\/\/monitoringthefuture.org\/pubs\/keyfindings.pdf Internet, 10.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

I never received a response from Mr. Brereton.<\/p>\n

Things eventually thawed and a new alumni coordinator, Jill Hanning, did wonderful things engaging the alumni community which allowed me to allow water under the bridge to be water under the bridge. I even considered participating in the alumni book club of sorts, which is funny if you realized how much I despised MVS’s English program.<\/p>\n

This newfound relationship came to a screeching halt when I received the following email from Jill on October 23, 2006.<\/p>\n

MVS Alumni,<\/p>\n

I want to update you on some changes that were made at school this
\nweek. I was let go from my position as alumni and communications
\ncoordinator. I was told by Peter Benedict that the advancement office
\nwill be heading in a different direction and that my position will be
\neliminated and replaced with one that focuses solely on publications.
\nMr. Benedict will be honoring the 06-07 alumni calendar of events that
\nI put together and will be meeting up with you all around the country,
\nhimself.<\/p>\n

I am disappointed that I was not warned of this change or given the
\nopportunity to be a part of the redirection of the office. It is my
\nsincere hope that the alumni program is preserved and given the
\nattention and value from the administration that it deserves.<\/p>\n

I have enjoyed the last three years spent getting to know many of you
\nand I am sad for the abrupt end to what has been a lovely job, serving
\nour school.<\/p>\n

I will be
\nin the advancement office until November 10; after that time
\nit is my understanding that Mr. Benedict will be handling all
\ncommunications. I will be at the DC gathering on November 3. You can
\nstill email me at this address for the remainder of the year; I will
\nfulfill my teaching commitments (teaching one English elective per
\nterm) in the upper school.<\/p>\n

Fondly,<\/p>\n

Jill<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At this point Peter Benedict had not yet been the headmaster for six months. Two days later I received an email from Mr. Benedict recapping what was left of the alumni program. I responded with the following email.<\/p>\n

Peter,<\/p>\n

I was saddened to hear of Jill Hanning’s dismissal from the alumni and communications coordinator position. I know Jill primarily through her position as the alumni coordinator, although I have fond memories working with Jill on the play the Diary of Anne Frank. Through all of these interactions I have always believed that Jill is a consummate communicator, both in her ability to listen and her convey information.<\/p>\n

I do understand and support the logical necessity to achieve some synergies by utilizing travel for multiple purposes.<\/p>\n

However one of the values that I cherished most in my time at MVS was the caring community. I have several relationships that are still ongoing from my years at MVS, and even when I run into friends who I have not seen in quite some time those relationships quickly rekindle. This sense of caring is not only between students and faculty and staff to student, but also between members of the faculty and staff. To this day I remember Mr. Graetz’s professional and caring guidance to Mr. Fisher, a young Algebra teacher who at the time was not any older than I am today. I remember Ms. Lash’s tireless efforts to keep Mrs. Kretzler on one topic for a full hour to gather the necessary information to reoutfit the art room. I also remember the longevity of many of the staff members and that they both were afforded generous notice from the school about the future of their employment and they also provided the school generous notice about the future of their employment. In all cases that I was aware notice of several months was provided, while this is much more than the standard required in business it is indicative of the caring environment that is a hallmark of The Miami Valley School.<\/p>\n

Given these examples, I hope you can understand my dismay from the messages that I received last week from Jill and yourself. To alumni who do not have the benefit of other ties with the school the messages provide the impression that there was unacceptable, uncaring, and bureaucratic bungling involved in this decision. It is unfortunate that as an proud alumni member this is the first decision and first impression that you have made that affects my relationship with the school.<\/p>\n

My relationship with MVS was tenuous during my senior year, and my first few years as an alumni. Both Aileen and Jill’s efforts have gone a long way to repair the rent that has existed between the school and I. Unfortunately some of their effort was unraveled last week.<\/p>\n

Regards,<\/p>\n

Nicholas Barnard ’99<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

I just sat in the background receiving MVS’s communications to me but not really responding to them. The straw that almost broke the camel’s back was when I got the “MVS Magazine” in my mailbox. Simply this was the most masturbatory piece of collateral that I’ve seen in a long time, on top of that it was a step backward given the increasing trend toward internet delivered communication. I decided to recycle it and hope that it was a onetime faux pas.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t. I finally decided to tell MVS off when I got another slightly less masturbatory email, but it also mentioned that I’d be getting the next issue of the MVS Magazine. I just wrote the following email<\/p>\n

Julia,<\/p>\n

Please take me off MVS’s email and postal mailing lists.<\/p>\n

Ever since the woefully fumbled dismissal of Jill Hanning by Peter Benedict MVS’s communications have been either to ask for money or to stroke the school’s ego. Miami Valley has abdicated any efforts to build a strong alumni community from which the school could then have cultivated donations.<\/p>\n

I was appalled when I received the MVS magazine in the mail; I found it to communicate very little useful information, it was clearly produced with significant financial, staff, and environmental resources that could have been better deployed into other areas. I found it to be a self-congratulatory and aimed at showing off and not toward building and maintaining a community.<\/p>\n

The alumni outreach program, as managed by Jill Hanning, had gone a long way toward healing embattled relationship I have had with MVS; since her dismissal I have found my relationship with MVS to be lackluster at best.<\/p>\n

Regards,<\/p>\n

Nicholas Barnard<\/p>\n

Miami Valley School, Class of 1999<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thats where things stand.<\/p>\n

Don’t even try the argument that I’m not a valuable alumni member with deep pockets. It is true that my pockets are rather shallow, but things may not always be that way…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My relationship with my Upper School (and Middle School for that matter) Alma Mater has been through many phases. It got started out on a really poor note when my they refused to enroll my sister for her senior year for reasons were perhaps a minor disciplinary matter. So I wrote a letter to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2532"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2992,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532\/revisions\/2992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmff.net\/peidm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}