Director ’ s Message
C entral to my thoughts this year has been the idea of community . It emerged because of COVID-19 and the attention given to the detrimental effects that a loss of community had on individuals . It arose again within our work creating a strategic plan to guide Falk Laboratory School into the future . And it surfaces quite frequently in the many conversations I have about Falk with parents , faculty , alumni , and all those who support Falk with their time and / or their financial resources .
Throughout our lifetimes , we enter and exit many different communities , sometimes by choice and other times not . We try out communities — like a club or a new group of friends — to see if they fit who we are , who we want to be , and what we believe . At the heart of it all is our search for belonging . We belong when we are accepted , when our well-being matters to others , and when theirs matters to us . We belong when we can contribute , when we bring something to the group that helps it to succeed in reaching our common goals . We belong when we have purpose , when the work we do together helps others and helps the world . And we belong when we are challenged to grow and to stretch ourselves .
Falk Laboratory School is a community that comes together because of our shared beliefs about learning . This past year , we were thrilled to reignite a number of important practices and traditions that are intimately connected with our functioning as a community , such as the sort of all-school events mentioned in the “ Not a Box ” article ( see p . 16 ). It has been a joy to come together in this way and to see the collaborations across grades that are such a meaningful part of the Falk experience .
Falk itself is part of a larger community — several communities , in fact . As a laboratory school , we ’ re one of many institutions that conduct and facilitate research that deepens our teaching practice , with the ultimate goal of sharing these insights widely , as described in “ A School Culture Framed by Research ,” which details Falk ’ s commitment to research and to using tools from research and improvement science . We connect with that broader community through our membership in the International Association of Laboratory Schools ( IALS ), and this past year , we were thrilled to send a number of teachers and administrators to IALS conferences to present their work ( see article on p . 44 ).
We also are part of the community of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education , from which many of our teachers earned their teaching degrees . As a demonstration school , Falk holds an important role in the educational community , serving as a vital site of connection where master teachers work with student teachers to shape , reflect upon , and refine their teaching practices .
With this magazine , we wish to acknowledge and to welcome additional important communities : those of Falk alumni , donors , and all those who have or once had a connection to Falk Laboratory School . This community is vividly on display in our feature article on the gift from the Marshall family , on whose lives Falk Laboratory School made such an indelible impact .
There are many ways to be in community with Falk , whether your child attends Falk now ; whether you are a former student , teacher , staff member , or parent ; or whether you are connected to Falk in some other way . We share this magazine as a way of demonstrating our contributions , our purpose , and our growth as well as strengthening our connections to those who make Falk Laboratory School such a special place .
“ With this magazine , we wish to acknowledge and to welcome additional important communities : those of Falk alumni , donors , and all those who have or once had a connection to Falk Laboratory School . This community is vividly on display in our feature article on the gift from the Marshall family , on whose lives Falk Laboratory School made such an indelible impact .”
Jill Sarada , EdD Director , Falk Laboratory School
FALK LABORATORY SCHOOL | UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 3