Landing the Plane

It’s the final day of the 2024-2025 school year and to honor our journey I invite you to reflect on the flight path we’ve taken. Our takeoff was strong — filled with anticipation, curiosity, and courage. We soared through stretches of smooth skies and sunshine, where joy and discovery were abundant. But like any true journey worth taking, we also faced turbulence — bumps, storms, moments of uncertainty and challenge. This year, both our school and I were tested in ways we’ve never been before yet I believe we’ve emerged transformed, stronger, wiser, and more grounded in purpose. Now, as our plane touches down and engines begin to quiet, I ask: Do you see rainbows?

I do. I see rainbows —those luminous, transformative colors — in every child becoming more fully themselves.

To see those rainbows clearly, we must look back to where the light started. At the start of the year our school soared. Learners built strong studios that honored hard work, kept promises, and celebrated team work –– even earning the Midwest title of Best Acton Studio Lip Dub! They dreamed boldly during the Architecture/Building Quests imagining their own school, and deepened their artistic and magical gifts right before the holidays. Opening our new campus before the new year was a celebration I will never forget. As learners stepped into the new building with love and gratitude, I saw more clearly where our community was heading.

Then, the weather shifted. Some families made the difficult choice to part ways. Their departure was deeply felt by learners, Guides, parents, and me. But that moment, that thunderstorm, revealed something important. In the swirl of uncertainty, we found clarity. We reconnected to our center: our learners. We remembered our shared mission: Find a Calling, Change the World. We strengthened our commitment to each family flying alongside us.

The storm moved on and something shifted. Although parents may have worried, learners began to rise. I watched them navigate conflict with courage, take greater ownership of their learning, lean into hard conversations, and keep building things that mattered.

Today, during our Heroes Ceremony, learners stood in front of our community and shared wisdom that I’ll never forget. One said that before the storm, she wasn’t the center of her own story — she let friends decide what her life should look like. However, through the changes of the year, she found her voice. She decided to put herself in the center of her story and trust her own ideas. That, to me, is the very heart of our purpose at Acton. That is the Hero’s Journey.

Another learner shared how the language of the hero’s journey changed everything for him. He realized he wasn’t walking alone, there were fellow travelers committed to growth, community, and joy. He said, “Knowing the hero’s journey stages and where I am on my journey helped encourage me to keep going.”

Learners have been growing all year. They’ve transformed how they reflect during launches, how they speak to one another, how they serve, collaborate, create, and rebuild their school family. But the greatest gem of all has been watching learners discover their unique gifts and begin to believe in themselves. This week, one learner preparing his Hero Speech shared “I was scared to speak in Launches. When I tried more and more learners listened. I now feel like I belong.” That kind of bravery and belief in oneself changes everything.

As we taxi to the gate and open the door to summer break, I invite you to pause with me for just a moment. Think back to where your child was at the start of the year. What has changed? What moments of growth, challenge, and insight have you witnessed? What have you learned, or let go of, or discovered as a parent walking alongside your child? I encourage you to talk with your child about their year, beauty and bumps, and maybe if you feel brave, ask them how they believe they’ve changed.

Acton makes bold promises: That learners will grow as independent thinkers, embrace freedom with responsibility, cherish the arts and the mysteries of the world, discover their gifts and use them to serve others. This year, we watched those promises come to life. Not always easily, not perfectly, but honestly, and meaningfully, and in a way that makes me deeply proud. I am proud to be on the journey with you both as a parent and your Director. This is my calling, and together with you I’d like to change our world. The beautiful rainbows of your children, and my own, are the reason I am here. Unwavering. Grateful. Committed.

This flight wasn’t about a perfect itinerary. It was about real discovery — the kind that only comes through the full experience of the journey. Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and for believing in what’s possible. It is a privilege to witness young heroes take flight.