Nurturing Relationships across Generations
Dear Hill-Murray Community,
Today we welcomed hundreds of very special individuals to our campus as we celebrated Grandparents Day. It’s hard to put into words how incredible it was to watch the love expressed through the generations that I saw today.
This day is by far one of my favorite days of the year. I loved seeing the authentic joy as the grandparents interacted with their children’s children – there were so many moments that brought tears to my eyes. While there was much laughter and fun on campus this morning, the day is also bittersweet. Knowing that some grandparents are away from us today can remind us how much we miss the hugs, the traditions, the smiles and the unconditional love that are so uniquely part of what it means to have grandparents in our lives. We purposely have a late start to the academic school day to be respectful of students who, for whatever reason, do not have a grandparent on campus today.
And as I told our guests this morning: Thank you for sharing your grandchildren with us – each one of them brings his or her own special gifts and talents to our school to make it a more vibrant place. I am fortunate that I grew up with incredible grandparents who were very present in my day-to-day life. And when I think back to my childhood and teenage years, I think about how their love was so important to me during those formative years. They gave me context, advice, insights into my parents – and truly my best life lessons came from their stories and journeys.
Seeing grandparents today reminded me again that Hill-Murray is built on generations of committed and dedicated Pioneers who have gone before us. Our current successes continue to amaze me. Our enrollment has grown steadily in the past decade, rising from 700 to just over 1000 next year. Each year we welcome new students and families into the Hill-Murray community. Our tuition assistance builds to allow more access as we continue to work hard to keep tuition affordable. Our athletic, performing arts, business, and STEM teams are all being competitive and developing those important passions in our students. Our peer ministry team is vibrant with over 60 peer ministers– these are young people willing to proudly share their faith with their classmates. The school is committed to hiring faculty and providing a curriculum that offers transformative learning experiences at each grade level. Our Nicholas Center pairs effective strategies and tutors to ensure that students who need extra learning support can thrive. We continue to be committed to our Benedictine and Lasallian charisms. In fact, we recently successfully completed a Catholic School Study through the Archdiocese and received approval for accreditation.
Whether you are a family with a long tradition at Hill-Murray or you are new to the Hill-Murray family, there is much to celebrate. Today was no exception.
So as our natural surroundings spring back to life, please know we are keeping you all in our prayers for a healthy and safe summer season, and look forward to welcoming you back to campus again.
