Let's Be Independent Together

Okay, admittedly, one of my favourite lines from any Christmas movie comes from none other than... Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. For some reason, the irony of the line "What do you say we both be independent together" in this Christmas classic makes me chuckle. The wise words of Hermie the Elf illustrate how we can be different and independent, yet still work together. Rudolph and Hermie embrace each other's differences and learn to trust each other on their journey to becoming accepted by others.

Now you're probably looking for the connection to children and education :). Here it comes...we are all different in our own way, yet we can work together to achieve goals. God created us all as uniquely different individuals, who enjoy our independence, yet we seek the company of others. We are comforted by companionship and can accomplish great things when we collaborate. It is great to recognize and celebrate all of our individual talents, as these contribute to the group. Attention is drawn to this at Christmas time, but it is something to be recognized throughout the year.

In terms of our students at St. Dominic Fine Arts School, we strive to provide opportunities for the students to demonstrate their learning in their own ways, independently, and yet they are also encouraged to work together collaboratively. We learn better from each other no matter how different we are; moreover, we all have gifts and talents to share with others.

In our integrated fine arts school, your children are empowered to express their individual creativity in unique ways like visual arts, movie making, singing, dancing, drama skits and more. Our students are also encouraged to work together in groups to complete projects, which builds that sense of connectivity to achieve a goal. Our staff seeks to foster relationships among the students, so that their individual talents are celebrated and valued.

In a catholic school system which values the individual and sees God in everyone, it is encouraging to know that your children have a safe place to fall every day. With Calgary Catholic's focus on our faith theme from Luke 6:36, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful," we are fostering mercy in all of our students at St. Dominic. Our Christmas service project of collecting much needed items for Inn From The Cold has been a great way for our students to show mercy to those who need our support. We will continue to seek out service projects which bring our students to understand the beauty of God's mercy, individually and as a group.

Much like our wayward elf and reindeer in this age old Christmas story, it is each child's unique gifts that build on the strength of who we are as a school culture. It's okay to be independent, but we develop new ideas and skills as we work together in a group.

So, with all of this in mind, "What do you say we be independent together" not only this Christmas, but throughout our lives.