ExplorerWest AR 22-23 - Flipbook - Page 3
WELCOME HOME, EXPLORER WEST!
When the school year began in September 2022, in some ways it sure felt the same as always. Our
opening traditions, disrupted by the pandemic, had resumed. We were in the same building we’ve used
since 1996, except this time, being in our building felt profoundly different — now it belonged to us.
At our Welcome Home Celebration later
that month, we gathered with current
and alumni families and former staff to
celebrate our success, and to honor all
the hard work, planning, and generosity
in our community that brought us to
the place where we could finally call our
building Home.
It was the perfect way to start a year
that, in many ways, was about seeing the
fruit of seeds already planted. In 2021
we published a Strategic Plan focusing
on three areas: reimagining the student
experience, strengthening our inclusive
and diverse community, and building for
our future. Last year, we were able to
make meaningful progress in all three
areas. Some highlights:
Our faculty, with an average tenure of 20 years teaching,
and over 10 years teaching at Explorer West, collaborated
on the creation of a Portrait of Graduate, to distill our
school culture and program goals and help guide
curriculum development.
We added a School Counselor to our staff to help us support
the academic and social emotions needs of our students.
Our counselor works with students, teachers, and families
to build skills and strengthen our systems of support.
We worked with a local independent bookstore and an
area elementary school to celebrate Black History Month
together, co-hosting community events that highlighted
Black authors and explored themes of social justice.
We extended the reach of our financial aid program to
support a record number of 32 families.
Through our annual fundraising programs, we raised
$150,000 to support operations and special projects.
We returned, for the first time since the pandemic began,
to our beloved tradition of taking 8th graders to Rome, as
a culmination of their three years studying Latin. We also
began offering students the opportunity to achieve high
school World Language credit for their Latin studies. Many
of our graduates entered high school with between one and
four years of credits!
Explorer West continues to be an extraordinary place where
middle school students have the opportunities and support
they need to deepen their skills, build confidence, and
take on new challenges. We couldn’t do it without a wide
community of champions who believe in our students and
teachers and the power of our unique program. We are so
grateful for that ongoing commitment.
—Barbara Frailey, Head of School
Explorer West Middle School
Annual Report 2022–2023
3
