Report from the Dean of Students
The 2003-2004 academic year was a terrific year for The Putney School. Buoyed by activities and events surrounding the opening of the Michael S. Currier Center, the introduction of the new integrated curricular opportunities for students, enthusiastic participation in farm, sports, work and community activities, and Putney's natural inclination to enjoy long cold and dark winters (remember?), the year seemed to fly by. As Dean of Students at Putney, I'm fortunate to work closely with students and faculty on a range of activities and programs. This report will touch on a sampling of this work. Here are some thoughts on the areas overseen by the Dean's office.
School Council: Student leadership, under Joe Schiavone '04 and James Rea '04, looked at many proposals, planned various activities, and moderated many discussions. A significant discussion followed Joe's proposal to eliminate School Council in favor of a "town meeting" approach to governance that would demand full participation by the community on rule-making and governance. While this proposal did not pass, it provided an opportunity to review the role of School Council and the efficiency (or lack thereof) of the current system of dorm/day student representatives.
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 David Arnstein |
Another proposal that did not pass but was discussed passionately for several weeks involved a plan for "faculty work jobs." This was an effort to strengthen community and live up to Carmelita's vision of "young and old working together." Some of the proposals that did pass School Council included the use of 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, the serving of Fair Trade coffee in the KDU, and a plan to allow limited use of cell phones in student rooms. In addition to the "legislative" role of School Council, the student leadership also worked on several dances and weekend events, sponsored a trip to Boston, supported the Third Annual Youth Activism Conference, and led dorm discussion on topics ranging from energy use to stealing.
Orientation/Trips: After a hiatus of several years, all-school Long Fall trips resumed this year and left campus during the arrival of Hurricane Isabel. While this coincidence was unfortunate, trips weathered the storm successfully, and the student response was enthusiastic enough to try the all-school fall trips again next year. A primary goal of the fall trips is to provide a capstone to the process of welcoming and integrating a new group of students to the school - a process that seemed to go extremely well this year. Along with welcoming new students to Putney, the school also participated in two international exchange programs that brought students to campus from France and Kazakhstan. This year, Putney was fortunate to receive a three-year pledge from a generous Trustee for "seed money" to explore other opportunities for international exchange and language immersion experiences. Putney students are avid travelers, and this year individual seniors participated in work term internships or study semesters in China, Wales, Chile, Costa Rica, and around the United States.
Health Center: This has been a year of change for the Health Center, and I'm happy to report that, in general, the transitions have been smooth. Brigid Demers Diorio finished her first year as our Health Center Coordinator, Marianne Buswell took over the job of Mental Health Coordinator this spring, and Nancy Hood completed her first year on the nursing staff. Alumni will be delighted to hear that Ellen O'Beirne has returned to Putney after an extended leave. This excellent team of nurses has redesigned and renovated the Health Center facility to meet new regulations for patient privacy and record keeping as well as to create a welcoming and educational environment. The health team sponsored and supervised an intern from Antioch University who worked to establish some wellness discussion groups at the school, and the team plans to continue to work with local colleges to support future healthcare practitioners. This year the school began a major effort to inoculate as many people as possible against the flu and, despite the vaccine being "not optimum" for the strain of flu that swept through New England, we enjoyed a year of good overall health with no "outbreaks" of serious illness or flu. An important new peer mentoring program for the school was initiated this spring by Marianne Buswell. Many students were nominated and sixteen were selected to participate in the peer mentor program that will involve on-going training, activities, and opportunities for leadership in the community.
Putney is a busy, thriving, and engaging community, and the Dean's Office works to support student life outside the classroom. Our "routine" tasks involve working with the Standards Committee, monitoring attendance, preparing and planning weekends and special events, and developing community curriculum topics around important teenage social and health issues. But the joy of this job is the chance to work directly with parents, teachers, dorm heads and advisors to help create the most positive experience possible for each student. I'm very happy to announce that Mary Jenkins has accepted the position of Associate Dean of Students for the coming year. Her dedication to students and their families is exceptional, and I thank her for the years of work she has already given to the Dean's Office. On to next year!
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