H+May+2010

Committee members gathered at 6:30 pm for the last meeting of the year. We began with a delicious potluck meal that included fresh organic salad greens from the Lower School community garden. Co-convener Mary DeCoster began the meeting with a period of silence. Mary shared that this would be her last meeting since her term on the CFS Board will end this school year. Several committee members expressed gratitude for the skillful and respectful manner in which Mary has clerked the School Life Committee. In an expression of gratitude, she was presented with a bouquet of flowers for her dedication and service. Mary reported that the CFS Governance Committee made a decision to rename the School Life Committee. The new name they selected is, // Quaker Spiritual Life Committee //. A board member shared that he believed the intention was to give the committee a name that better reflected the true nature and work of the School Life Committee. It was shared that this change was also a result of a thorough and wide-reaching review of the Board’s bylaws and subsequent revisions. Several members of the committee expressed concern about name change. Members questioned the fact that no information was shared with the School Life Committee prior to this decision and that no input was solicited from current committee members. One person described this as a “grave” concern. Some members shared they felt the name was too long but it was not the intent of the committee to offer possible alternative names at this time. There was much curiosity and speculation about the impetus for this change. There was a period of discussion and questions about the intent of this decision, the process that was used, and the implications it might have on the scope of the committee’s work. Members wondered if indeed the scope of the committee’s work had been narrowed. It was suggested that the renaming of the committee not limit the committee’s historical precedence of addressing a wide range of school issues and topics. Some members questioned if enough time was given in making this decision and whether or not the best of Quaker process was used. There was a sense of the meeting that more information needed to be shared with members of the School Life Committee about this decision. In other business, it was suggested that the current description regarding student members of the SLC reflect more precisely that students from Middle and Upper School serve on the committee. The committee does not have students from the Early or Lower School. The committee discussed whether the monthly Community Meetings for Worship reflected the needs of our parents, students, and staff given the low numbers of participants this year. Suggestions were made for alternative times for Meeting for Worship. Charlie agreed to bring this to the attention of Friday Meeting for discussion. A member wondered if our end-of-year survey to parents might include a question about Community Meetings for Worship. One member asked if Meetings for Worship were a part of alumni events. A suggestion was made that the School Life Committee consider writing a Quaker information section for the monthly issue of Parent Update next year. The question was asked how we might make the committee more meaningful and engaging for our student representatives. It was proposed that the School Life Committee consider moving its meeting to the fourth Tuesday of each month next year so that there is more time for the minutes to be prepared for monthly board meetings. The following is a list of accomplishments of the School Life Committee for the 2009-2010 School Year: · Supported efforts of the Afghan Sister Schools Project in making presentations to both the Durham and Chapel Hill Friends Meetings and the CFS Board. · Hosted monthly Community Meetings for Worship on main campus. · Organized the offering of a Couples Enrichment Workshop to be taught by Marsha and Mike Green of the Chapel Hill Friends Meeting. (There were not enough registrants for the workshop but it will be considered again next year with possible changes in format.) · Added a notice in the Parent Update to support parents who might be interested in learning more about the Durham and Chapel Hill Friends Meetings. · The committee increased its focus on various spiritual aspects/moments throughout the school year. Reports from unit representatives focused attention on these experiences. · The relationship between the SLC and the Parent-Staff Association and the Afghan Sister Schools Project was strengthened. We included monthly reports from the representative for the Parent-Staff Association and Afghan Sister Schools Project.
 * Minutes from May 4, 2010 **