Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/1462174
Our Collective Future: Our Collective Future: A Review of Our Shared Pedagogy by Mason Stark, Director of Alumni Relations & Planned Giving '84, P'27, P'32 name, had been, in itself, a rejection of branding. I reveled in the name's unaligned status and the school's avant-garde methods. Clearly I've pushed through my own bias in this regard, and the key was recognizing the continuation and development of the school's philosophy of education through time. ere are two things I've learned so far during my short tenure as Director of Alumni Relations that I hope to communicate to the Alumni Association. e first is to highlight that the Alumni the Alumni Association is inclusive of Association is inclusive of everyone who has ever passed everyone who has ever passed through our school doors through our school doors. at means anyone who was a student at any time, former faculty and staff, and parents of former students— you are all a part of the Alumni Association. is association is not just for graduates. Nursery through 12th grade encompasses an entire childhood, which means many people move on for all sorts of reasons. If you went here or were affiliated in any capacity and want to engage with the community, then you're more than welcome. In fact, we encourage you to do so. e second point is the true intent of this article: While While our history includes many our history includes many s ming differences (such as s ming differences (such as school names and building school names and building addresses), there are crucial addresses), there are crucial commonalities that connect us commonalities that connect us all through time. all through time. At the core of these commonalities is an inquiry- driven educational philosophy as opposed to a traditional rote curriculum. Each school that made Trevor what it is today is a part of this shared history. I came from e Day School in the 1970–80s, but I represent all of the Alumni Association's constituents. When I first assumed this role, I started to research the history of each institution; the many commonalities quickly became apparent. T hen & Now images hen & Now images show that the more show that the more things change...the more things change...the more they stay the same (or they stay the same (or be er)! be er)! …collecting food donations for the Yorkville Common Pantry. …creating an annual MiniTerm musical. …singing the National Anthem for the Mets. A s my byline reveals, I have past, present, and future connections to the Trevor community. In 1984, I graduated from 8th grade, when the school was known as e Day School. (Before 1970, it was called e Day School of the Church of the Heavenly Rest.) e 1990s saw both a name change—to Trevor Day School—as well as the addition of an Upper School (grades 9–12) with the merger of the New Walden Lincoln School (two schools that had themselves merged a few years earlier). I provide this brief recap to demonstrate that we are not a simple collective with a fully shared experience. In truth, no institution is, as social and cultural changes over time impact every school. Still, we do have a tendency to get stuck behind a self-imposed barrier of names. In fact, I'm guilty of this superficial bias. When I first heard that e Day School was changing its name to Trevor Day School, I worried that this was an abandonment of a core set of principles by which the school operated. e Day School, a completely generic …using the latest technology.