February 4, 2014
Over the last year or so, we have been paying a lot of attention to improving the process of our board meetings – getting through the more routine aspects efficiently so that there is ample time and energy left for the thinking and discussion we need to have.
Our meetings are often long and the responsibilities of members are always considerable. In an effort to streamline things, it would have been easy for us to let go the 10-15 minutes we have been allocating early in each meeting to a student presentation. We haven't done that. Seeing and hearing from students turns out to be the greatest reward for those who volunteer as members of our Board of Directors.
We heard from two students at the recent January meeting. Robbie and Sarah are members of our inaugural STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) cohort. They spoke with passion of their experiences through the first two years of our program. It was clear that their intelligence and curiosity are a match for the demands of the engineering focus of the class. As they explained why they enrolled, why STEM is important, and where they think they'll take what they have learned, many around the boardroom table exchanged "the look"—the one that says, "I don't think I would have ever have been talented enough in high school to do what these two are doing."
The truth is, that in showing us what they do, our amazing students bridge the gap between daily school life and the remoteness of the boardroom. Whether it's Malcolm sharing his experience giving service in El Salvador, or Neal sharing his poetry performance, or Sarah sharing the complex process involved in engineering a multicolored cube, the Board members get to observe God-given gifts being used in extraordinary ways.
Those who govern our school are encouraged and inspired in their own demanding work. In a way, the presentations by students reinforce the Xaverian value of simplicity – they remind those who govern that the students are the sole reason our school exists. As a board member, it's easy to get distracted by the complexities of changing demographics, tight budgeting, and strategic planning. Seeing our students at their best liberates the heart, the mind and the soul of each board member and brings satisfaction to the demanding work of moving the school forward.
