Administration unveils 2019-2020 annual student commitment statement

By Defne Alpay ‘20

On Thursday, Sept. 12, Dean of Students Brandon Woods sent out an email with the 2019-2020 annual student commitment statement to Upper School students and faculty to be reviewed in C&Cs.

According to Woods’ email, the purpose of the commitment statement was to “make clear our expectations for student behavior.” 

“The expectation is that students read it to know what is being asked of them,” he remarked. 

The student commitment statement is a legal document located within the family handbook that families are expected to read and sign upon enrollment. The family handbook, written in collaboration with the administration and overseen by Assistant Head of School Barabara Ostos, provides guidelines for parent and student behavior at Catlin Gabel School. 

In order to increase transparency between students and the administration while clearly defining student expectations, the Upper School has a several-years-long practice of sharing the portion regarding student behavior as the annual student commitment statement. 

Unlike previous years where students were required to physically sign the agreement, the commitment statement was sent out in a Google Form to preserve paper with the expectation that students were to read and electronically sign the statement by Friday, Sept. 13. According to Woods, no significant changes have been made from the 2018-2019 commitment statement to the 2019-2020 version.

As of Sept. 23, 2019, 266 students out of 319 have electronically signed the agreement. 

“I would hope that the statement reminds [students] of the values that contribute to all the things we are doing and the expectations and philosophy of the school,” Woods concluded.

Collection of Excerpts from the 2019-2020 Student Commitment Statement. Graphic by Defne Alpay.