Messages from Mustang Alley

Newsletter for the Secondary Schools

September 27, 2024

Message from the Principals

On last Wednesday evening, Peter (along with Josh Singer and Dr. Dustin Wright) had the chance to engage with a group of parents through a PTA-sponsored book talk around the book, Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic and What We Can Do About It.”  At the center of the book and at the center of our conversation was the concept of “mattering” - the term the author uses to define the feeling that we humans have when we feel that we bring value to others. Mattering is at the heart of “Mustang Pride” also. The idea that contributions big and small bring value to the overall community. Encouraging mattering is what we are after when we say we want our students to be good people who can do great things. 

It was heartening to wrestle with big ideas about how to reduce the pressures high school students face every day, how to help them define themselves beyond their grades, and define what success means for each of them individually.

Below, we share with you 5 key insights from the author (as shared in the Next Big Idea Club summer):

• An unmet need to matter is at the root of so much suffering.

• To matter, we must help kids untangle their self-worth from their achievements.

• To help the child, first help the caregiver.

• Resilience rests on relationships.

• We all crave social proof that we matter.

Special thanks to Christine Buccholz, Shannon Litton, and both the Meridian and Henderson PTA for pulling Wednesday's event together! It was a powerful conversation. Truly, it takes a village! 

Stay dry this weekend, 

Peter & Steve

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