Mike Fellin April Crescent Connect

Moving Forward With Moral Courage

by Michael Fellin, Headmaster of Crescent School
There are significant moments in life that remain in our minds and hearts forever. For me, the 1986 Challenger disaster was one of these events. I remember sitting on the floor of my elementary school gymnasium along with 400 other students, crowded around a small television set, and the corresponding silence, shock, tears, and cries from students and teachers when the space shuttle exploded soon after launch. I believe the moment when Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts for the murder of George Floyd is another of these seminal events. I will never forget watching the verdict, reflecting on the moment in the context of centuries of racism, and subsequently reading the words of Barack and Michelle Obama: “today, a jury in Minneapolis did the right thing.”
Doing the right thing is not always easy. Sometimes doing what is right costs us something – a good mark, a social standing, or even a promotion. British writer and theologian C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

Over the past few years, a small group of dedicated Crescent teachers and students have been developing a program aimed at channeling everyday heroism. The mission of this program, affectionately called Be the One, is to reinforce positive school culture through the lens of the everyday hero: a student who is empowered to be aware, think empathetically, and offer help. In short, we aim to train our boys to be upstanders not bystanders. Student agency and leadership then become universal and not bound by titles or classroom walls. However, “being the one” takes moral courage.

This past year has witnessed a trifecta of crises – health, economic, and social. The forces of the global pandemic, corresponding economic impact on businesses, and calls for greater racial justice have accelerated many important conversations about personal health, wealth, and responsibility in the world. Many leaders, teachers, parents, and students have been called to advocate for greater accountability and change, especially through self-reflection, brave conversation, and new understanding. This process of re-thinking has been spurred by assessing the things we wish to start, stop, and continue as a school. For me, this has been incredibly exciting work as it has taken us back to our mission, vision, and values. A way forward is becoming clear as we turn our attention to what will be part of our new conventional mode of school. However, what has been unearthed for me during this challenging period is a call not to affiliate with individual causes per se but with a set of shared principles that can be broadly applied – what we at Crescent hold up as our core values.

We convey to our boys that it takes moral courage to live Crescent School’s values: to respect oneself and others, to be responsible for our decisions, to be honest and tell the truth, and to be compassionate and treat others the way in which they want to be treated. We do this work not because it is easy to teach or learn, but because it is the right thing to do.

Veritate stamus et crescimus.

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