Head of School Address:”How Might We?”

How Might We _______? was the essential question Dr. Brett Jacobsen posed during his Head of School Address Thursday, August 22. Sharing his vision for Mount Vernon with hundreds of families, he emphasized as the School emerges as a leader in 21st century education, the entire community plays a big part in its continual success. The theme of How Might We sparked five areas the School community will focus on this year.
Number one, Start with a powerful question. Teachers, students, and families are encouraged to continually ask questions, questions that spur creativity and possibilities. One visual example of starting with questions involved a fun video involving Mount Vernon students, Dr. Jacobsen, and the division heads. Watch the video here. 
Number two, involved the idea of  Serving the Team. As a School Mount Vernon is committed to servant leadership–providing our students, families, and faculty with the support they need to feel connected and supported. Number three encompassed the idea of Never Create for Today. Sharing the findings from the Institute for the Future a think-tank group devoted to continuous progress and forward-thinking technologies, Dr. Jacobsen emphasized their findings demonstrate of continuously preparing students for their future. Number four involved Seth Godin’s philosophy of Shipping Ideas. Maintaining that instead of simply coming up a new idea, each and every day our students, faculty, and staff make ideas happen. Evidence of shipping ideas are prominent throughout Mount Vernon and twice a year are detailed and demonstrated in the School’s magazine. A concrete example of shipping ideas came through the official launch of Mount Vernon’s Institute of Innovation. To learn more about MVIFI click here. Lastly through number five, Jacobsen encouraged everyone to Enjoy the Ride, to embrace the time they have at Mount Vernon, to make the most out of every experience, and to remember we have a blessed our community.
For families that missed the Head of School Address, over the next several weeks Dr. Jacobsen will share many of the ideas through his blog. Check back often as we continue to ask How Might We ________ at Mount Vernon?
The photo with this story is a sketch of the HOS address (using an app) done by Head of Middle School, Chip Houston.