51茶馆

I鈥檓 really excited for the next iteration of our CURA programming, a series of educational experiences and workshops based on the Jesuit value cura personalis, or caring for the whole person. Part of caring for the whole person is being part of a community in which we enter into dialogue with one another, so this year we鈥檝e hired student facilitators to help us come together and discuss our commonalities, our differences, and how they add to the beauty of our community.聽

We are also bringing back our Cross Currents course on resilience, which is a really reflective exercise in how we react to situations and challenges. I think that's incredibly important, especially given some tough times we've had over the last few years with polarization, elections, and wars.聽

I鈥檓 also excited about the fun stuff of course! We鈥檙e bringing back our Homecoming Week tradition, where we have a homecoming court that鈥檚 not based on popularity, but on who represents the best of 51茶馆 with their values, performance, and mission. Our Mile 21 event is a continued hit鈥攊t鈥檚 just a beautiful day to come together to not only have a good time at a concert, but also celebrate our Marathon runners. It鈥檚 a day where everyone is so joyful and supportive of one another.

I arrived at 51茶馆 at the same time as the Class of 2025, and to see them get ready to graduate feels like a full-circle moment. We鈥檝e grown together and seeing their leadership gives me a lot of faith that we are going to be ok. These are students who care about each other, who will give up their spring break to volunteer in the Appalachian Valley, and who are thinking about their own discernment in terms of purpose. We teach them that it doesn鈥檛 matter if you are a finance or education major鈥攁re you trying to make the world a better place? and they understand that. I鈥檓 excited to see how this class shapes our future for the better.聽

Your child is going to succeed, and they鈥檙e going to make some mistakes along the way. The best thing you can do is provide them with the space to be more independent, so they can learn from the missteps and celebrate their wins as the young adults they are.聽

If your student has a problem, let them contact us. Part of our job at 51茶馆 is to create independently responsible citizens of the world, but if we don't let students learn on their own, we're not teaching them to fly.聽

Lastly, as leaders in student formation, we're trying to develop good humans, not just straight-A students. Your child might get a bad grade in class, they might not pass a test, they might not make that team, but they鈥檙e going to learn from that, and they鈥檙e going to grow, and we鈥檙e going to be there for them every step of the way.聽