Letters from the Head of School

Dear Princeton Academy,

Xīnnián kuàilè!

Wow! What a spectacular Lunar New Year Festival at Princeton Academy today! Thank you to all of our most generous parents, friends, and volunteers who made today’s Lunar New Year Celebration absolutely epic! Our families have prepared a great deal for this day - from early morning dance rehearsals to late night performance practices to preparing lunch, setting up, organizing and sponsoring the entire day - the list is endless. Today’s celebration was one for the ages: A delicious Chinese lunch, traditional games, Dragon Dance, singing, dancing, Kung Fu, and more! 2023 is a year represented by the sign of the Rabbit, which is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope. I wish all members of our community a wonderful Lunar New Year celebration and a blessed year ahead!

I am so grateful for our community. 

For the next two weeks, I will be away from campus attending the 2023 Klingenstein Head of School Fellowship at Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City. I am excited by the opportunity before me and honored to return to my graduate school alma mater representing Princeton Academy. At the same time, I don’t like being away from school. Thank you to my Team for leading, as they always do, while I am away.

On Wednesday, while gathered as a One School community, I shared with the boys that I was going to be away from school for the next two weeks. Princeton Academy is like a family, and I am blessed to see almost every student and every educator every day. Being present and building relationships are at the heart of our community, and when someone is absent, we notice. Therefore, I wanted to tell our young men where I was going to be so that they heard it from me directly.

I told them that the reason I was going to be away from school was because I was GOING to school so that I could learn and grow and become a better leader for them. I let them know that, even though I have gone to school for my entire life, there is always more to learn. Since we are developing lifelong learners at Princeton Academy, I want my students to know that I am one, too.

Please know that I am bringing a piece of our community with me to TC. I look forward to seeing everyone when I return to campus on February 6.

Xīnnián kuàilè!
Rik