Ethics in action

One of the amazing sub plots of our Upper School each year in early December is Brad Fletcher’s impassioned drive to raise funds for toys that will go to the less fortunate children in South Berwick. Each year, Brad races to Town Hall to grab all of the toy requests, and our Upper School community seems to rise up each winter to support this cause with unexpected generosity. In fact, it is clear that the town has come to depend on our Upper School as the primary way in which young children have their holiday wishes come true. Each year, I find that Brad creates a new way to ask us to reflect on this tradition – making it real in very personal ways. Often he focuses on a quote that reminds us that if we have more than we need, giving some of it to those who do not have enough really is not charity: it is our moral responsibility. I have no doubt that we will once again exceed our goals for the town. For me, it is equally rewarding to hear of the trip Brad takes to Toys R Us with a group of our students to fulfill the requests for toys that include titles and brands that are completely foreign to us as adults.

This year, I will be making a special presentation in assembly in honor of one of our Middle School students. I am embarrassed to say that I have forgotten his name, because the moment of our transaction on Blue and White weekend happened so quickly and chaotically – it was some time ago. However, I will never forget, as I was running from event to event and preparing for our 225^th bash when a Middle School boy ran up to me with a $100 bill that he had found in front of our library; he wanted to be sure that it was returned to its owner. I was so moved by this gesture but not sure how to manage its aftermath. I turned to Mary Dempsey, President of the BPC, to see if she might be able to find its owner by standing at the ready at the bake sale. No luck. The Head of School went home to change after the games with a crisp $100 bill in his khakis.

It sat in my desk drawer for many months, almost like an unsolvable ethical dilemma of sorts.  Whenever I wrote a Berwick thank you card, there it would be – staring at me. A few times I thought about using it to take my family out to dinner, telling myself I would increase my annual fund gift by $100 or something. But I think I wondered if I would actually do that in the end, so it just sat there – paralyzed by all that it represented to me. Hearing Brad talk about the needs of our less fortunate families in town last week suddenly freed it from my desk drawer, as I could see that it was going to find an appropriate home.

            

So I suppose this is my public thank you to the young man in our Middle School, and the ethical fiber of our students in general. I suspect that there will be a number of South Berwick children on Christmas morning that will open packages with unexpected glee. They will likely be heartened to know that Santa has not forgotten them amidst a life that they did not choose for themselves. What they will never know are the multiple layers of Berwick community: teacher, Upper School, Middle School, Core Values – that led to this particular outcome. But you and I will both know, and we are certainly better for it.