Letter from the Head of School < < < < < < < < < < < < â€œIt is the commitment to causing internal growth that unites our faculty and separates Cannon as a school. â€? Dear Cannon Families, As a child growing up, I would visit my grandparents in Nashville once or twice a year. Over time and with each visit, my grandfather built quite a ritual of things we would do with him at his home. One of my favorite things involved the trip to the garage to measure height. Each of us had a board in the garage. We would run to our board, and our grandfather, with a ruler, colored pencil, and the best printing I have ever witnessed, would mark our growth. Each of us could assess the tangible growth when he drew the line sometimes inches above the last line and entered the new date. There is real comfort and encouragement to be found in tangible growth. We love to be able to see and hold growth. Our school community experienced this year the encouragement and comfort to be found in tangible growth. Buildings popped up out of the ground and grew right before our eyes. Initiatives such as Adaptive Expertise Days in Lower School, Cornerstones in Middle School, and Winterm in Upper School presented tangible growth in our educational program. Our arts program traveled south and took over the Mint Museum Uptown on a Sunday in the spring. And our teams and athletes set records and won events and contests we have never won. This kind of growth is hard to capture with rulers and colored pencils. Not all growth is tangible. With each visit, my grandfather tried as best he could to understand if we had grown any inches on the inside. Did we appear to be kinder to one another? Did we demonstrate a stronger commitment to working harder? Did we talk about more mature friendships? However, it is this growth on the inside that captivates teachers and shapes a school year. It is the commitment to causing this internal growth that unites our faculty and separates Cannon as a school. Matthew E. Gossage, Head of School I encourage you to look for this commitment along with the evidence of this internal growth in this issue of Cannon Magazine. I think you will find signs of this special kind of growth in the pieces written by students and in the reverent ways teachers talk about their work with students. I want to thank all of you for this year of growth Cannon School has enjoyed. I hope this summer provides your family with ample opportunity to rest, restore, and grow. Thank you, CANNON MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2014 | 3