2025-2026 Friday Letter
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 12th: The Rave (Fall All-School Dance), 8-10 pm
* Sat 13th: Varsity XC @ Wamego Country Club, 8:30 am
* Mon 15th: Boys MS Soccer vs. Northland Christian @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Girls MS VBall @ Faith Christian Academy, B-team 5:30 & A-team 6:30 pm
* Tue 16th: Upper School Play Auditions, 3:30-5:30 pm
Boys Vars Soccer vs. Heritage Christian Academy @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Girls VBall vs. Heritage Christian Academy @ BSA, JV 5 pm, Vars following
* Wed 17th: Upper School Play Auditions, 3:30-5:30 pm
* Thurs 18th: BSA Open House, 6-8 pm
Boys MS @ Heritage Christian Academy East Campus (9333 W. Overland Park), 5:30 pm
Girls MS VBall vs. Maranatha Christian Academy, B-team 5 & A-Team 6 pm
Girls HS VBall @ Northland Christian Academy, JV 5, Vars following
* Fri 19th: Homecoming, 3:30-7 pm
Boys Vars Soccer vs. Maranatha Christian Academy @ BSA, 4 pm
* Sat 20th: Vars XC @ Tonganoxie-Leavenworth County Fairgrounds, 8 am
Girls Vars VBall Tournament @ Hiawatha HS, 9 am
Dear Parents,
The first school dance of the year is tonight. I hope students enjoy it!
Our BSA Open House is on Thursday night. Please invite any parents whose children would thrive at our school--or anyone interested in the school. Open House is also open to our existing parents. Curriculum Night was your opportunity to learn about your child's present teachers and coursework, but the open house can also be an opportunity to learn about what lies ahead for your children. So don't hesitate to drop in!
Don't forget that we will have a Homecoming celebration next week in conjunction with the Varsity Soccer game against Maranatha Christian. All parents, students, alumni, and staff are invited to attend. At 3:30 pm, we will launch the Out of this World Golf Cart Parade. Every grade has been given a golf cart to decorate according to a specific theme. Everyone who attends the soccer game will receive a ticket to vote on the float that they find most impressive. The winning grade will receive something fantastic for their form trip. Around 5:30 pm, following the game, we will have games on the back patio with hamburgers (and veggie burgers), chips, and frozen treats. The event will finish by 7 pm. I hope you can come out to enjoy the float, support our athletes, and have some fun!
Don't forget that our annual parent grade meetings and the parent game night will occur on September 26th, starting at 6:30 pm. You will receive more details from your class captains and in next weeks' Friday Letter.
Congratulations to our Middle School actors on being cast in the fall theatre production. Auditions for the Upper School production will occur this week on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
By Student Senate decree, next week is the much-anticipated fall Spirit Week. Expect your child to walk out the door in slightly "unusual" apparel (well, maybe not on pajama day....let's not kid ourselves). Here are the themes:
Monday: Pajama Day
Tuesday: Tropical Day
Wednesday: Wacky Hat Day
Thursday: Jersey Day
Friday: Seahawk Spirit
Congratulations to Marcella MacGonagle on being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist. She is one of the top scoring .5% of seniors in our country who take the PSAT. Great work, Marcella!
We had a bit of a nervous moment this morning as our science teacher Mr. Nelson (an expert biker) had an accident this morning just a few blocks from school on Clinton Parkway. He is banged up but doing okay. We hope to see him back next week.
I think you will agree that this has been a bumpy week. As many of you know, I do not like to truck out lengthy discussion about the anniversary of 9/11 in morning meeting. Adults have very powerful memories of that day, stoked by the annual flood of pictures and remembrances on social media, and it is tempting to want to convey to our children the importance of that day in our own lives. However, I find that children become unfortunate receptacles to adult anxieties and traumas without having any outlet for that negative energy and no confident means of processing these vicarious nightmares. I encourage older students to talk to adults about their memories, but I think it is just as well to leave younger students alone.
Of course, yesterday was not simply the anniversary of 9/11 but also carried the stress of both the assassination of Charlie King and another school shooting on Wednesday--and, of course, the firestorm of emotion across our already volatile political landscape. I reminded students that open debate and exchange of ideas is something that should happen in this country without fear of violence or repression. I teach philosophy to our seniors every year, and a central theme of my class is that our best realization of truth is achieved through an exploration of ideas from many vantage points, and counter-arguments should always be welcome. Of course, the legitimacy of an idea is dependent on certain moral principles. One of those assumptions is that every human being has dignity and should be treated with compassion. We must avoid the distortions of hatred and prejudice, our worst instincts. It is one thing to say this is true. It is quite another thing to make this belief real in the world through our actions.
Therefore, my final admonition to our students was--as they experience their lives as a protagonist in their individual stories--that they make decisions and engage one another in such a way that they are the heroes in the stories of other people. To me, this means intentionally and consistently reinforcing the dignity of other people and improving their lot in life, not simply focusing on the self. A hero can be a firefighter or office worker who gives their life in the stairwell of the World Trade Center to save the lives of strangers--but it can also be a 7th grader offering a seat at their lunch table to a student who is sitting alone, even if they have nothing to say to one another. It is understandable to be dispirited by the decisions of people outside our control, but it is our individual decisions that give our lives meaning. We can control at least this much, and no one can take that away from us.
Yours Respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 5th: Girls VBall @ Veritas Christian Academy: MS B-Team 4:30, MS A-Team 5:30, JV 6:30 pm--Vars following
* Sat 6th: Girls Vars VBall @ McLouth HS, 8:30 am
* Mon 8th: Girls MS VBall @ KC Christian HS: C-team 5, B-team 6, A-team 7 pm
* Tue 9th: MS Play Auditions, 3:30-5:30 pm
Boys MS Soccer vs. Faith Christian Academy @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Boys Vars Soccer @ Baldwin HS, 4:30 pm
Girls HS VBall vs. Maranatha Christian Academy @ BSA: JV 5 pm--Vars following
* Wed 10th: MS Play Auditions, 3:30-5:30 pm
MS XC @ Pembroke Hill School--Ward Pkwy Campus, TBD
* Thurs 11th: Picture Day
Boys MS Soccer vs. Northeast Kansas Homeschool Athletics @ Sports Zone, 4 pm
Boys MS Soccer vs. KC Christian @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Girls HS VBall @ KC Christian HS: JV 4:30 pm--Vars following
Girls MS VBall vs. Heritage Christian Academy @ BSA, B-team 5 & A-team 6 pm
* Fri 12th: The Rave (Fall All-School Dance), 8-10 pm
* Sat 13th: Varsity XC @ Wamego Country Club, 8:30 am
Dear Parents,
Although we are still months away from our annual auction (February 20th), preparations for that event occur early, and the BSA auction committee will meet for the first time on September 15th. The committee always welcomes new members. This is a great opportunity for parents to get to know other parents and enjoy each other's company--quite aside from providing a great service to your child's school. Reach out to Ellen at ellenchindamo@seaburyacademy.org if you would like to join in or if you have questions.
Our theatre season also begins next week. Auditions for the Middle School production (The Fantastic Mr. Fox) will occur on Tuesday and Wednesday at 3:30 pm. Upper School auditions will occur the following week.
For Middle School parents, we dedicate time to the development of executive functioning skills that will not only be essential for success in their present school work but will serve them for the rest of their lives. Parents are essential to that process. This one-pager offers steps you can take to help your child develop these crucial skills.
School pictures for all students will be taken on Thursday next week. Because we use senior pictures for graduation purposes, seniors need to wear a dark jacket, a white dress shirt, and a tie or a nice black dress or blouse. Consult the flyer from Jostens that Betsy sent yesterday--especially the warning that your children not wear green, as the green screen the photographers use will otherwise turn your children into floating heads. (For those of you with mischievous children, re-dress them as necessary before they leave the house!)
Our Student Senate will host a Back-to-School dance (The Rave) for all students next Friday from 8 to 10 pm. There is a $5.00 entrance fee, and the funds raised will underwrite student events like Palooza and Winter Formal. Students may bring one guest but will be responsible for that guest's behavior. Our BSAP President will be sending out a signup for parents to help chaperone and to provide snacks and refreshments. Should you have any questions about the dance, please reach out to Mr. Whipple at williamwhipple@seaburyacademy.org. The dance will be held in the commons area of the school. I always feel the need to instruct our new parents that our school dances are not the clumsy, unfortunate adolescent mating rituals you may remember from your youth. Try to picture a collection of weekend-energized students bouncing up and down for several hours...that is a Seabury dance. Our dance code of conduct form is attached as well as the guest form. I hope the kids have a good time.
Congratulations to our 2025-26 student senators who were just elected today:
6th: George CiCi & Sloane Mizer
7th: Olivia Pavisian & Israa Aziz
8th: Kingston McCall & Alex Miles
9th: Zeke Kalbas & Natalie Koprince
10th: Corinne Gab & Madilynn Walter
11th: Eva Farmer & Alice Pulsinelli
12th: Gabe Rinnert & Riley O'Neill
One of our big fall traditions is our annual BSA Homecoming--a celebration of school spirit built around the September 19th varsity soccer game vs. Maranatha Christian. Parents and alumni are always welcome at this event. We kick off the event with a golf cart parade, and each grade of students decorate their golf cart according to a theme. This year's theme is "Out of this World," which we announced to the students today with this video. Following the soccer match, students can enjoy games, walking tacos, and fun. We also developed a t-shirt that students and parents can order, and you can use this form.
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Mon 1st: Labor Day--No Classes
* Tue 2nd: Boys Vars Soccer vs. Cair Paravel Latin School @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Boys MS Soccer @ Tonganoxie HS, 6:15 pm
* Thurs 4th: Vars XC @ Wyandotte County Park, 9 am
Girls VBall vs. Faith Christian Academy @ BSA: JV 4:30, Vars 6 pm
Girls MS VBall @ Maranatha Christian Academy, 5 pm
Boys MS Soccer @ St. Paul's Episcopal Day School, 5:30 pm
Boys Vars Soccer @ Chanute HS, 6:15 pm
* Fri 5th: Student Senate Elections
Girls VBall @ Veritas Christian Academy: MS B-Team 4:30, MS A-Team 5:30, JV 6:30, Vars 7:30 pm
* Sat 6th: Girls Vars VBall @ McLouth HS, 8:30 am
* Sun 7th: Spring Break Trip Meeting, 4-5 pm
Dear Parents,
I trust your students are starting to get into the rhythm of the new school schedule now that they have a few weeks under their belt. I expect they are looking forward to the 3-day weekend.
Our student athletes have been working diligently in these first weeks, and I am always impressed to see students finishing morning practices as I am coming to work each morning. Good luck to all of our teams as they begin their competitive season! Please come out and support them when you can.
Seabury has a cooperative partnership with the football program at Perry Lecompton High School, and sophomore AJ Campbell and junior Lucien Brockhoff will be representing our school. Best of luck to them with their season--which kicks off next Friday in a game against St. Mary's High School.
No doubt you are aware of the school shooting that occurred at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota on Wednesday, almost exactly one year after another tragic incident of school violence at the Apalachee School in Georgia. I believe that I am fairly adept with language, but my wish to provide something helpful to parents in light of these incidents...well, I am always outmatched. It is excruciating to sort through the known and imagined details of incidents like this--yet nearly impossible not to. For me, it is a professional obligation. It is perhaps cold comfort to be reminded that children are statistically much safer in schools than in their own homes, and these incidents truly are very rare, no matter how heavily they weigh on us when they happen. However, in these moments, I do remind parents that school safety is something that administrators and educators engage every day. It is an inevitable part of our work and is baked into our daily consciousness. When you drop off your children every morning, you can be certain that their well-being is always our first concern.
One additional note. Whether your child is a 6th grader or a senior, most of them probably are aware of what happened in Minnesota. I believe it is always appropriate for parents to ask their children what they know about the incident (if you haven't already), knowing that the discussion will be guided by the needs and questions of the specific child. Car rides, before dinner, or bedtime are often the productive moments for such conversations. I tend to think children appreciate having openings to express their feelings and thoughts about difficult topics--even if they say nothing at all.
Have a restful weekend,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sat 23rd: Senior Retreat @ Mr. Richmond's house, 5-9 pm
* Wed 27th: Theatre Kick-Off Party, 3:30-5 pm
Dear Parents,
I trust you had an engaging time at curriculum night and enjoyed meeting your child's new teachers and learning about their courses. I always look forward to having parents on campus.
Last spring, you may have seen the headline from the Lawrence Journal-World, "College-readiness levels hit new lows in Kansas." I think it is important to emphasize that standardized test scores and college readiness data for Seabury students and graduates have remained consistently strong. Our average ACT score for the last three years is 27.5, well above the nation (19.6) and state (19.5). Scores on SAT assessments (including PSAT 8/9, PSAT, and SAT exams) indicate similar success in student preparation. Last year, we offered Advanced Placement exams in eight different subjects with an average exam score of 4.1 out of 5 (with 3 considered a passing score and the baseline for college-credit eligibility).
Of course, standardized test scores and college-readiness benchmarking--while being a necessary and objective measure of academic success--are not the only or most important indicator of education, at least not in my perspective. We believe the development of a full human being is not limited to intellectual prowess but also strong character, civic-mindedness, resilience, creativity, and independence of thought. By the time our graduates cross the stage at May's Stepping Up ceremony, they are pretty impressive young adults. At the start of the year, I think it is fitting to remind parents why you have enrolled your child in this school and what we aim to achieve. And I hope your experience at curriculum night and reports from your children's first two weeks reinforce that message.
The first full week of classes is always a long one as students (and adults!) adjust to the daily school schedule. We will all enjoy a little rest this weekend.
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sun 17th: New Parent Orientation, 4-5:30 pm
* Mon 18th: Fall Sports Practices begin
* Thurs 21st: Curriculum Night, 7-9 pm (optional parent mixer @ 6:30 pm)
* Sat 23rd: Senior Retreat @ Mr. Richmond's house, 5-9 pm
Dear Parents,
I know you get a lot of emails, so the Friday Letter is a method I use to provide streamlined communication. I will assume all parents will read these letters each week, as information here may not be repeated elsewhere. To create ease in reading, I bold-face the topics in each paragraph.
First up, I do not like changing the dates of events once they have been published--so I am especially sorry to announce TWO such changes. First, Ms. Lawrence is always good about publishing her concert dates early so parents can plan accordingly, but we have discovered an unavoidable conflict for the fall concert, so we need to move that event. The new date for the Fall Tapestry Concert is Friday, October 17th. Please make that change in your calendars--and thank you!
Just yesterday, I asked you to save the date for parent grade meetings & game night, and then we discovered later in the day that the event would go up against the Chiefs' opening game. Uh-huh. SO, we will be rescheduling that event for Friday, September 26th 6:30-9:30 pm. We will provide drinks and snacks. Parents will have the opportunity to socialize with other parents in their grade before moving to the Commons for our annual parent game night. We hope you can attend this event, relax, and have some fun. We will send more details in September.
On Sunday, we will host our New Parent Orientation in the Commons from 4-5:30 pm. New families, I hope that you can have at least one parent in attendance. (Students generally stay home.) After a presentation from me, we will use an open house format with various tables so you can focus on getting the information you need. Parents who already have children at Seabury (in addition to a new student) do not need to attend, but you are welcome!
Thursday evening is Curriculum Night. This will be your opportunity to follow your student’s schedule, meet their teachers, and learn about course work. Parents often tell me this is one of the most important experiences of the year, and my favorite comment from parents is always the same: “I wish I had these classes and these teachers when I was in school.” We will also have an optional parent mixer at 6:30 pm on that evening, giving you time to have an adult beverage (if you choose) and wander the hallways. I hope you can attend. I will send more info next week prior to the event.
Congratulations to our Upper School math teacher Shane Richmond and his wife Jessica on the birth of their daughter Millie!
Once again, I cannot express how happy I am to hear the flow of student laughter and chatter in the hallways and in the classrooms during the day. A little quiet--and a slower pace to work--during the summer is welcome, but there is nothing like having students back in the building.
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang