The end of a school year brings many emotions—chief among them may be enthusiasm for the future. As the School bids farewell to its graduates, our administrators reflect on the past year and look to the future. Among the exciting changes ahead, perhaps the most thrilling and expansive are those of the spiritual life program.
It’s an exciting challenge: how to support the spiritual and character growth of all students—representing a diverse faith background—while staying true to our foundational bedrock of Christian Science. At the helm of this charge is Brad Warrick (US’90, C’94), the recently appointed Spiritual Life Director for the School—a new position created to support these very efforts. In a communication with parents earlier this spring, Head of School Dr. Merry Sorrells (C’79) said the new position “will ensure that our core value [Lead with LOVE] and mission is integrated and at the forefront of all we do.”
While still being developed, the program will expand to better encompass all facets of campus life, bolstering and supporting students’ spiritual understanding through deep and honest conversations. Monday chapels will continue as the cornerstone of the program, setting the tone for thoughtful discussion to take place throughout the week in House groups, athletic teams, classroom settings, and more. “The purpose is to develop confident spiritual thinkers,” says Warrick. “I want to get into deep discussions… use the Socratic method to instigate questions. [I] want to turn it into a family environment where the more questions [asked] the greater the discussion, the greater the learning, and the more confident students become as spiritual thinkers.”
The approach has already been successfully tested in the Upper School boarding program. In this microcosm, required discussions, while still based on the Bible Lesson, are widened in scope to appeal to many. Optional discussions give students the chance to narrow in on prayer and Christian Science practice. Though not mandatory, students from other faith backgrounds also attend these discussions, enjoying the challenge of sinking their teeth into the Bible and writings by Mary Baker Eddy, while staying true to their faiths. “If [the student is] values aligned, they're going to be attracted to what we do. …God is God. Religions are human institutions. Everyone is attracted to the same core values when it comes to spirituality and love,” says Warrick.
The program will expand to embrace the whole Principia community as well. “Policy 3 isn’t just for our students,” continues Warrick. “We all get to see each other’s limitless potential as well.” Principia’s Policy 3 centers around seeing individuals as children of God who have equal opportunity and equal ability in the sight of God.
Of the program, Dr. Sorrells said, “We expect to see new connections and conversations about spirituality flourish among students, faculty, and staff as we continue to advance Principia’s mission in ways that are innovative and integral to the lives of our students.”