Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/706827
2020 VISION 2 F R O M T H E H E A D O F S C H O O L ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY. The meaning of this idiom used to elude me, and the people who said it annoyed me. As a younger man, it seemed to me that the expression was mostly deployed by grandparents with a wagging head, clucking tongue, and twinkling eye. I never understood why the older generation kept bringing up ancient Rome when there was so much to get done! Until I began working in education. The mystery and miracle of human development is staggeringly slow and astonishingly complex. We are born as big-headed babies who are utterly helpless and woefully unready for anything that might approximate "survival of the fittest." It takes years to grow our bodies, decades to develop our minds, and a lifetime to learn to faithfully bear the image of the God who created us. We take time. One would therefore expect that the establishment of an educational organization worthy of overseeing the development of young minds, bodies, and souls would also take time. Extraordinary schools develop slowly, and the long march toward excellence requires time, strategy, and effort. There is no quantum leap to greatness, only the steady trudge of the faithful, the relentless march onward and upward. So what you hold in your hand is both a declaration and proclamation. Inside you will discover a bold and unwavering declaration of who we are, what we believe, and what we stand for. Our core values are not only stated, but unpacked clearly and unapologetically. Additionally, you will discover a robust proclamation of the organizational priorities that will drive our planning, actions, and efforts over the next five years. Come and learn where we are headed and how you can help. I believe it will take all of us working together to achieve the goals within this publication. I also believe it will be more difficult than we suspect; nevertheless, I am not discouraged or deterred. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. Drake Charles, Linfield Christian Head of School