Dear Flint Hill School Family,

Please allow me to start by saying THANK YOU to everyone who has served our great nation on this Veteran’s Day! Your sacrifice, service and commitment deserve our highest praise and deepest gratitude. You engaged in protecting our wonderful country and the world at large. Again, thank you!

We often talk about the need to “engage” to really make the Flint Hill experience come to life for you. Last weekend, I found myself in awe of all the activity at our school among our students, parents, faculty and staff. It all began on Friday, when we hosted our Parent-Teacher Conferences, and an enormous number of parents flooded both campuses to spend time with our incredible and talented faculty. I know some faculty were booked with upwards of 40 parents throughout the day. In fact, in some cases,  “conference day” has spread out over several days to ensure that every parent can have the opportunity to meet with teachers.

In the Fine Arts program last weekend, the Upper School Dessert Theater had two presentations of the play, “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon.” We had packed houses on both Friday and Saturday and the play received rave reviews, accolades and compliments from members of our community. The streak continued with the incredible results brought by the seven students who audited and were selected for District Honor Choir.

The weekend also marked a phenomenal display of Flint Hill’s athletic prowess. Cross country had already finished a super season with a number of runners qualified for the State meet. Girls’ Tennis won both their Conference and Tournament Championships and were ready for the State meet to begin. On Friday, Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Soccer and Girls’ Volleyball had major games for Conference and State tournaments. On Saturday, the Football team won the MAC title, and I learned that they had qualified for the State Tournament. Then, on Sunday, the Boys’ Soccer team followed their regular season Championship with the Tournament title – the first time in school history that they won both in a single season! Volleyball won their Tournament Sunday afternoon and while Girl’s Soccer lost in the finals, the team completed an amazing season.

Additionally, Flint Hill hosted a Boys’ Basketball Clinic, and Coach Jody Patrick hosted the annual Book and Ball Clinic on Sunday. I want to thank and congratulate each and every student and coach who participated in an athletic team this fall for their strong efforts and good sportsmanship. Special recognition goes to the the following teams:

  • Varsity Volleyball: ISL AA regular season championship; ISL AA Tournament Championship; Metro Championship; #2 seed for state tournament
  • Varsity Football: MAC Champions; #3 seed in state tournament
  • Varsity Girls’ Tennis: ISL A regular season championship; ISL A Tournament Championship; #4 seed in state tournament
  • Varsity Boys’ Soccer: MAC regular season championship; MAC Tournament Championship; #6 seed in state tournament and made it to the state quarterfinals

There was also plenty of action for Huskies away from the athletic fields. On Sunday, Flint Hill hosted a very successful Admission Open House for the Upper School, which had a strong turnout from families interested in our great school. And congratulations to all the students who participated in the Quiz Bowl, who took the 5th place out of 36 teams in the tournament! Meanwhile, a major Tennis Tournament for the local United States Tennis Association (USTA) was held on the Upper School Campus.

How can you pack all that activity into such a short period of time? It is hard to imagine, but it is clear that we have done it the Flint Hill way: with humble pride, good sportsmanship, and the excitement of being together in whatever endeavor is before us. Thank you to everyone for making Flint Hill far more than just a school, but a school family.

On a different note, I know I don’t need to remind everyone that everything we do comes down to the people of our great school and our relationships with them. It is with deep respect, admiration, appreciation, and a bit of sadness, that I share with you that our Director of Security and Risk Management of seven years, Doug Morency, has been offered an incredible opportunity to lead a security force at a local high school. We want to wish Doug all the best as he pursues this new opportunity. Doug struggled with the decision of whether to accept this position as he shared with me, “Flint Hill and its community will always be dear to me and I will take that ‘Driving Spirit’ mantra with me as I start this next chapter of my professional career. I will miss calling the East and West Campus home, and will always cherish my time there.” Please join me in wishing Doug all the best, and please know that he promised to be back to visit often. In the meantime, Dennis Giuliani will oversee campus security during this time of transition.

As  we look ahead to the upcoming weekend, please make an effort to join us at the Holiday Shoppes on Saturday. It is an exciting way to “engage” once again with your fellow Huskies. For more information on vendors and activities, please click here.  Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

 

Best wishes to you!

Sincerely,

John M. Thomas
Headmaster