The Class of 2019 is being accepted into an impressive list of colleges and universities. The momentary high of being accepted is heightened by the knowledge that our students have learned how to write, how to study and how to complete heavy work loads with excellent results. One can accept or turn down a college acceptance. The habits of mind students learn over the years at Shorecrest can be applied anywhere. It is tempting to give the acceptance list more attention than the success rate of our students once they enter school. Obviously, many factors contribute to the future successes of our Shorecrest grads; but I know that the skills and habits of mind they learned while attending are important and a wonderful added value to our graduates and their families.

The Head of School Search is moving along incredibly well, and we are excited by the diversity, caliber and enthusiasm of our candidates. We hope to invite the finalists for the Head of School onto campus for the community to meet in early to mid May. Thank you for your support and patience through this process. We are eager to have community input when our finalists visit.

April is often a month of reflection for our students and their families. As the school year draws to a close, we look back and remember where we started and revel in the realization of how far we’ve come. However, we also acknowledge the time that still remains as an opportunity for continued growth during these last few weeks. In the same way, one can look at the Shorecrest Annual Fund and celebrate just how far we’ve come. As a community, we have raised over $700,000 that will go towards the betterment of our campus, classrooms, extra-curricular programs, and teachers all in an effort to enhance the experience and opportunities of our students.

From February 24 - March 9, 2019, nineteen International students visited from Escuela Ameyalli in Mexico and Colegio Maya, a bilingual school in El Salvador’s capital city, San Salvador. They were hosted in Lower School by fourth grade students. Three weeks later, another delegation from Escuela Ameyalli in Mexico City visited Middle School's seventh and eighth grades.

Driving while distracted can make it difficult to react during a potential crash, especially for teen drivers. More than 1200 videos created by teens to inspire their peers to drive more safely and avoid risky behavior were submitted in the TeenDrive365 Video Challenge by Toyota and Discovery Education. Among the 10 finalists is Caleb Kravitz '20! Caleb’s video "Don't Recline Behind the Wheel" and the other ten finalist videos can be viewed at teendrive365inschool.com/vote. The public can vote for their favorite video once per day through April 23. The People’s Choice winner will receive $5,000 - so please vote for Caleb every day!

Now in its 14th year at Shorecrest, Relay For Life continues to make a lasting impact in the fight against cancer. This student-led initiative raises money for the American Cancer Society through a variety of activities including spirit night events at local restaurants, the Links Project in Lower School, team fundraisers and sponsorships.

Kindergarten Spring Orientation on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, is for Parents of 2019-2020 Shorecrest Kindergarten Students - those rising from JK and for incoming new families. Enjoy a sneak peek of the Kindergarten program at Shorecrest to help you make a smooth transition next school year!

The Plains States have been pummeled by consecutive "snowmageddons" and this has particularly affected our Lakota-Ogala friends on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, where one of our Upper School Service Week trips volunteers. As you start or continue your annual spring cleaning, please consider having your child bring any gently used clothing (particularly cold weather items) to ST4. This clothing drive will run until the school year is over.