Torch - Fall/Winter 2018-19

Principal’s Message

“

This ties back to many of our core values at Havergal: inquiry, integrity, compassion and courage. When we engage in habits that connect us to what we have and could be grateful for, it acts as a North Star. It guides us to cherish what has come to us and helps us pursue inquiry in a more meaningful way and with rock-solid integrity. When we have an understanding of the world and its inequities, and we stay connected to our compassion for others, we can pursue inquiry with a more balanced sense of curiosity, skepticism and analysis. Indeed, this becomes a habit itself. Inquiry can become a moral disposition, where we delve into knowledge and come to conclusions for the betterment of ourselves and others. We can find compassion for the mistakes people made in history. We can find uses for scientific discovery that help people and the planet. It’s a surprisingly complex emotion and process. I think it means a lot to all of us at Havergal who are driven to pursue knowledge, self-awareness and success in a way that’s guided by real appreciation, real gratitude. “ True gratitude is the result of both the things we do and a certain kind of thought process and reflection.

E arlier this fall, some of our girls spoke in Prayers about their work with our community partners. They shared their stories of inspiration and how these experiences helped to change their perspectives on the world. I am reminded of this Prayers in particular because this issue of Torch magazine is all about gratitude. By definition, feeling grateful is the “quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness,” and that is what those girls felt when speaking about their involvement in these community partnerships. As much as it helps them find more meaning in life, it inspires us to act, too. Working in the community and making real connections with others who appreciate your efforts, mentoring someone younger in schoolwork or in sports, these are acts of what Aristotle called “moral dispositions.” They are habits with a moral underpinning that build character by repetition. These habits help us develop a personal ethical code. They help us see the world with true gratitude. True gratitude is the result of both the things we do and a certain kind of thought process and reflection. Habits of Appreciation By Helen-Kay Davy

TABLE OF CONTENTS | FALL/WINTER 2018–19 • TORCH 3