Unity in Diversity: AGS Strong
Each year AGS chooses a theme for the school year that gets woven into our advisory discussions, drives EDLS initiatives, and provides many opportunities for relevant discussions in classrooms and parent forums. Above all, it is a theme we deem highly germane to our mission and values.
This year’s theme is Unity in Diversity: AGS Strong.
Read Head of School Ayanna Hill-Gill’s opening remarks from the first day of school when she introduced this theme to the student body.
Opening Ceremony 2015
“We are a community with many differences. We like different things, we live in different places, we have different beliefs. We are all in fact different, yet there is unity and comfort in valuing our differences. I stand today facing all of you starting a new school year with a little apprehension and uncertainty, not knowing what the next day will bring. AGS is a school that was founded for a purpose. AGS was founded because there was a need. Our strength has grown during the last fifteen years because of our diversity, because of our differences.
“AGS is different each day, each month, and each year because we, the people who create this community, are not the same. This year’s school theme is Unity in Diversity. Throughout the school year, we will discuss and celebrate all types of differences within our school, our community, and our world. But for today, I want us to be reminded of the value of having diversity of thought, opinions, and perspectives.
“I feel so fortunate to be a part of a community that has valued different perspectives, and I hope you do as well. AGS continues to reinvent itself as a community because we know the importance of stepping outside of ourselves to obtain a different viewpoint.
“So my charge to you as we begin this new year is simple: Challenge your perspective. Ask why of yourself, others, and ideas. When things feel difficult, gain another viewpoint. When you are having a conflict with another person, ask yourself, what is their perspective? When you feel negative and everything feels like it is half empty, challenge your perspective so you can feel like the situation is half full. Better yet, when you are overwhelmed because you didn’t get the grade you wanted, or your day didn’t go as you expected, challenge your perspective. Remember in those moments, that the very thing you are disappointed about is not the destiny. That is not why you are here. It is just a part of the journey. And in that same moment, remember the positive perspective, the outlook that says that the glass is half full. Because with the struggle, there will be the joy and there will be the glory that go along with the climb. And in that climb, in that journey, is where the true perspective resides.
“Have a wonderful start of the best school year yet! Here’s to a great year of perspective.”