Ben Weinberg opens The Spark with a look at ASM’s seven-year journey of sustaining excellence through innovation. Drawing on our Middle States action research process, he traces how the school defined innovation not as a program but as a habit—rooted in curiosity, empathy, perseverance, open-mindedness, and creativity. His remarks frame the Colloquium as a celebration of that mindset in action: every classroom a lab, every teacher a researcher, and every learner an innovator shaping ASM’s future.