ALL
TOGETHER
New Spaces that
Continue to Unite Us
Finished, in no time flat. Flat Stanley, a favorite
of alumni back to 1993, thinks twice about
leaving home these days. Students of Sharon
Deller, and of all the second grade teachers
since that time, remember Flat Stanley, their
peripatetic teacher, the main man of their
geography lessons. Classmates first read the
book about Flat Stanley, then colored and
decorated him. He was soon mailed to family
and friends who were headed for vacation or
business travel. Throughout the decades, of
course, Flat Stanley has traveled the world,
many times over.
2
So it takes something quite magnificent to keep
Flat Stanley at home. He never envisioned ONE
School, which has transformed The Lexington
School, enhancing the learning and the lives of every
student and every adult at 1050 Lane Allen Road.
This time last year, the on-site TLS community
was absorbing daily lessons on the finer points of
construction, differentiating between graders and
skid steer loaders. This year, all are enjoying the
grand results.
Flat Stanley hardly recognized the place at first
glimpse. “New” appeared at almost every turn, it
seemed, and he had to take it slowly, to take it all in.
He thought of Miss Cowling’s telling eighth graders
about Tutankhamun and of Lord Carnarvon’s
inquiry, “Can you see anything?” The reply: “Yes,
wonderful things.” That’s precisely the way Flat
Stanley felt when he looked through the glass front
doors. He saw wonderful things, and he began to feel
comfortable, less overwhelmed with the new. More
excited about the new.
The first thing he loved was the two-story
library just inside the front door. It was enormous
but welcoming at the same time, with books on
serpentine bookshelves. It took his breath away. He
especially liked the huge windows, making it seem
the indoors and outdoors blended as one. For years,
Flat Stanley had heard that the original library, on
September 14, 1959, the first day The Lexington
School opened, was there at the front door. You
could touch the library wall from the threshold,
and you could see all the books. It had always made
him proud that, right from the start, his school had
emphasized the power of books and reading, the
importance of academics. He saw with his own eyes
that this had never changed, not even as his school
celebrated its 60th anniversary.
When Flat Stanley returned from Asia last year,
he’d read about the ONE School Project, anchored
by the Academic Center, connecting the Lower
School with the Fine Arts Wing. He already knew
this new building contained first through fifth grades
of The Learning Center, bringing TLC students
side by side with their classmates for the first time
since The Learning Center opened in 2010. He had
looked forward to seeing this in person, and he could
feel a sense of inclusiveness as TLC students felt
ownership in ONE School. He was tremendously
proud to be part of The Lexington School.