Headmaster's Message

Dear Student and Parents,

Welcome to the 2006-07 school year.  Welcome to your high school.  High schools are, almost by definition if not necessity, pretty strange place.  After all, where else do you need a permission slip to go to the bathroom?  There are differences in every high school, though, as to their procedures, traditions, and ways of doing things that make up the "culture" of a school.  For example, schools differ in how they run pep rallies or whether they have a Winter Carnival or Spirit Week.  They differ in the number of credits they require for a diploma or in, say, the foreign languages they offer for study.  The most important differences, however, are found in the kinds of relationships that exist between students and teachers or in the ways students treat one another in the hallways and in the lunchroom.  All these things taken together, however, should add up to defining a place in which students - that would be you - feel physically and emotionally safe, are encouraged and motivated toward defining and working toward their goals and dreams, and feel part of a genuine community - with all the joys and responsibilities that come with belonging to any community.  The bottom line is this:  do you feel like just an anonymous number moving through four years of high school or do you feel that people know you, care about you and support you?  Now I would suggest that this caring and support can show itself in a number of ways.  Certainly when a teacher talks with a student about, say, her potential as an artist or when a guidance counselor suggests to a student interested in nursing that he may want to think about medical school as well or when an administrator notices dramatic changes in a student's personality or behavior, these are signs that kids are cared about and supported.  But even when a student is spoken to about his use of inappropriate language or clothing, this too is a sign that students are cared for and that the health of our school community is being supported.

You and your family are part of this Pembroke Academy community.  That means first and foremost that you attend a terrific school that reflects the values and commitment to education of the parents who support it.  Now saying that PA is a terrific school is pretty easy for me to say, right?  But PA is special on a number of counts:  first, we have an outstanding faculty of talented and dedicated teachers.  Sure, every student is always going to have favorite and not-so-favorite teachers.  But my point is that you're not going to have any teachers at PA who are not dedicated to your academic and personal success.  So take advantage of this invaluable resource by working diligently in your classes but also through getting to know your teachers as people.  They're teachers first and foremost because they like and want to work with young people.  Second, PA is special because of the wide array of programs and initiatives we offer to give every student every chance to succeed:  Pushing Your Limits, Freshman Teams, Running Start and Advanced Placement courses, our daily START program, Virtual High School, internship opportunities and Early Graduation options are only a few of the resources that are in place for your growth and success and to enable you to answer Pembroke Academy's Essential Question:  How should I live my life?  Finally - and most significantly - we're a fine school because we have a genuinely outstanding group of students who have consistently shown themselves to be among the most thoughtful, compassionate and talented kids any school or community could hope to have.  As important and valued as academic success is, it will never be as important as the essential goodness and decency that defines the vast majority of students at PA.

Both you and your parents should take some time to read through the student/parent handbook, which is designed to outline PA's expectations and ways of doing things.  Remember, though, that the most important thing we're going to do is to respect and care about one another and work together toward your having a successful year.  Let's get that done.

Michael Reardon - Headmaster