Dear SMS Families,

I hope your summer was filled with restoration, laughter, and adventure. More so than any previous summer, this one went quickly for me. I don’t know if it is related to the fact that I’m getting older and the notion that our sense of time speeds up as we age or because time flies when we are having fun. Along those lines, there is nothing more energizing and joyful for me than the start of a new school year, and I’m excited to welcome our students and families this week.

This summer, my family and I spent a week in Hawaii, playing in the ocean and soaking up time together. Having grown up spending summers on Cape Cod and later living in Los Angeles for 15 years, I’ve come to recognize how restorative the ocean is for me. As a former marine science teacher, I’m continually drawn to the sea’s power and beauty. Whether swimming with sea turtles off the Kā‘anapali coast or working my way back into surfing shape, I found myself calm, content, and contemplative in the water. That space to reset, with purpose and presence, left me reenergized for the year ahead. It’s a powerful reminder that excellence doesn’t arise only from effort, but also from clarity and joy. I’m eager to retain these feelings as we transition into a new school year. As part of that new beginning, we’re thrilled to welcome several outstanding new faculty members to our community. You can learn more about them here. We’re excited for the talent, perspective, and enthusiasm they bring to SMS.

This year’s theme—Excellence with Joy—is rooted in our core principles and supported by the ongoing integration of mind, brain, and education science into our practice. For those of you who are new to SMS, last year our faculty engaged with the text Neuroteach to guide our instructional approaches and practices. This year, we will continue deepening our understanding of how the brain learns by focusing more intentionally on curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment. And that joy matters: neurologically, positive emotions like joy activate the brain’s reward system, creating ideal conditions for learning, 

In last year’s graduation address, Owen Paulson ‘25 reflected on the deep learning he experienced at SMS, the lifelong friendships he established, and how much fun he had along the way. While fun may seem secondary in an academic setting, research tells us otherwise. Joyful learning is serious learning. In fact, for something to be fun in a meaningful way, three elements must be present: the task must be challenging (if it’s too easy, it is boring), it must be purposeful, and it must occur in a context of trust. These are the very conditions we cultivate at SMS: vigor with purpose, and learning grounded in strong relationships. 

To further support our efforts in cultivating a sense of community where every individual feels valued, we are working with Essential Partners, a nationally recognized organization that helps schools and organizations build trust and belonging through intentional dialogue. Over the past two days, our faculty and staff have engaged in training designed to strengthen our capacity to build relationships across lines of difference through dialogue. These dialogues are designed to foster understanding, empathy, and collaboration, even amid disagreement or conflict. We believe that building a culture of trust — where every student feels seen, heard, and valued — is essential for students’ learning and belonging. This work not only supports our theme of Excellence with Joy, but it also reinforces the kind of environment where challenge, purpose, and connection can flourish.

I can’t wait to see students back on campus and to join together with families in another year of learning and laughter.

Warm regards,

Samantha Coyne Donnel