Opening Days 2026: Leaning in as a Professional Community

Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem opened the two-day meeting by grounding the community in Rivers’ mission and core values. Sharing personal reflections from his summer family trip to Italy, he cited Michelangelo’s view on sculpting: “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” Dahlem encouraged professional community members to view their work with students in a similar way—to recognize the potential and strength in each young person, perhaps even before a student might see it in themself. It served as a powerful analogy for Rivers' classrooms, where educators help reveal each student's inherent strengths, inspiring them to pursue excellence and lead lives of impact and purpose.

Dahlem also introduced new colleagues, including Head of Upper School Colleen Kyle and Assistant Head of Middle School Meredith Lorber, while highlighting several impressive campus enhancements completed by the facilities team over the summer.

Building on that momentum, Dahlem outlined the school’s institutional priorities for year two of the Strategic Plan, reinforcing the school’s guiding philosophy of Excellence with Humanity. Extensive work is already underway: academic alignment for Grade 6-12, schedule implementation, curriculum documentation, the definition of leveling systems, and AI integration. Talent management will focus on increased collaboration time, with an emphasis on culture and connection, while wellness initiatives continue to integrate student supports across program areas, expand 6-12 wellness programming, and raise the visibility of Learning Services. Across all departments, teams are advancing institutional equity through a collaborative effort, while advancement and finance teams lay the groundwork for an upcoming capital campaign.

 

The academic leadership team led joint sessions that were intentionally structured as a model 75-minute lesson, mirroring best pedagogical practices. Dean of Academics and Institutional Research Chris Dalton framed the session by revisiting last year's work on the "Principles of Adolescent Development" process that evolved into "Our Approach to Teaching & Learning" (Develop Autonomy, Build Belonging, Cultivate Purpose). He then previewed the day's three focus areas: connection, engagement, and deep learning in our new schedule. 

The session seamlessly moved from cross-divisional community building with Moth story cards (an interactive card deck to inspire personal storytelling) to evaluating research on student attention spans in longer academic blocks. Faculty participated in a collaborative sorting activity examining student engagement modes from The Disengaged Teen, discussing actionable strategies to move students along the continuum toward becoming active "explorers." New Assistant Head of Middle School Meredith Lorber introduced the four modes of engagement from the book: resistor, passenger, achiever, and explorer. She emphasized that these exist on a continuum tied to context rather than to fixed identities, and that our approach calls us to move students in the direction of being explorers. The session concluded with faculty writing down their specific classroom practices to create a shared, cross-disciplinary resource. 

Parallel division meetings also focused on personal engagement and setting a thoughtful tone for the year ahead. Head of Upper School Colleen Kyle introduced herself and invited faculty and advisors to participate in a meaningful intention-setting exercise. Teachers wrote letters to their future selves addressing how they hope to show up at Rivers, what new strategies they plan to try, and what core values define their role as educators. These letters were sealed in envelopes to be returned at the midyear mark in February, serving as a personal touchstone and pep talk to ground faculty in their purpose amid the demands of the academic year.

Additionally, the Equity and Engagement team unveiled this year’s guiding theme: “Lean In.” Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion tc Hamner led a session exploring what “leaning in” looks like in daily practice. “Equity work is ongoing, evolving work,” Hamner noted. “It begins with a willingness to learn and grow, and to signal to others that you welcome when others learn and grow as well.” Hamner emphasized that modeling inclusion isn’t limited to the classroom or athletic field, nor is it solely the responsibility of students or people of color. Students won’t lean in unless the adults they care about lead the way.

The professional community also had the opportunity to hear from three colleagues who participated in the Enrichment Grant program this summer. Middle School Latin teacher Cathy Favreau P’22 spoke about the inspiration she gained by traveling to gardens, castles, and crafting hubs in Ireland. Middle School French teacher Julia Auster-Hogan ’06 described how beginner piano lessons at the RSC this summer helped her better understand her students’ learning French for the first time. Auster-Hogan concluded her reflection by playing a song at the piano in Kraft Dining Hall, receiving raucous applause from her colleagues. Lastly, Director of Community Engagement Lucas Malo presented on his travels to Joshua Tree and surrounding areas, sharing his appreciation for the beauty of nature, the uniqueness of a singular tree, and the importance of unplugged time spent with family—a reflection made especially meaningful with grant supporter Joan Walter in attendance.

Throughout both days, high-level strategy was balanced with practical preparedness. The community received an overview of the comprehensive capital campaign and heard highlights of the leadership phase successes from Chief Advancement Officer Meret Nahas, enrollment updates from Director of Enrollment Management Yassine Talahoui, and essential updates on wellness, student life, and campus safety protocols.

After gathering as a full professional community both mornings, teams and departments broke off for specialized sessions and opportunities for division-specific connection. In what has become a Rivers tradition, Dahlem brought each member in attendance to form a circle, introducing and reintroducing colleagues across all departments. Reinvigorated, focused, and highly prepared, the Rivers professional community is ready to lean in and make this school year extraordinary.