Looking for diverse texts to read for either yourself or your child(ren)? Shipley's Librarians are here to help with a heaping helping of books to satisfy your literary appetite.

Jesse Wang ’14 transferred to Shipley from public school when he was in the tenth grade. Though he wasn’t always the best student in high school, he learned a lot about perseverance, grit, and how to be a good writer—skills that would prove useful after his less-than-stellar performance as a first-year law student. With encouragement from a mentor, Jesse drew on his law-school experience for inspiration to write Underdog: 12 Inspirational Stories for the Despondent Law Student. “The book,” he says, “tells the stories of twelve people, including law students, professors, and attorneys, who have faced incredible adversity throughout their lives, but were able to persevere using their grit and creative thinking.” The book debuted as a best-seller in its category on Amazon in December, 2020.

June 19 marks a critically important day in our country’s history: Juneteenth, celebrating the end of enslavement in the U.S. and dating back to 1865 at the end of the Civil War. Members of The Shipley School’s History Department wanted to share a bit about the importance of this day, the origins of it, and a few resources and events for those interested in learning more or attending celebrations. We encourage members of our community to reach out to the History Department to further discuss and/or explore ways in which dialogue about Juneteenth, in particular, and diversity and inclusion in our curriculum, in general, can be expanded.

Shipley’s Mission commits us to helping students develop the empathy and critical thinking it takes to be compassionately engaged global citizens. That work begins in our own community, and in times like these, it’s our duty to provide children with opportunities to feel heard, to listen to others, and to learn to engage meaningfully with the world. It’s also important for parents to talk with their children about racial injustice and racism. Here are some resources to help you have those difficult conversations, as well as some information about why it’s so important to begin this work at a young age.

Meaning put the M in PERMA+, psychologist Martin Seligman’s scientific theory for maintaining well-being. Finding meaning in our lives looks different for all of us. For some, it may come from a spiritual or religious place. Others may find purpose through work, a vocation, or a hobby. Wherever it comes from, meaning lives beyond the individual, representing something greater than ourselves. Finding meaning has been tied to improved health, greater resilience, and increased life satisfaction. Here are some resources to help you discover it in your life.

Under ordinary circumstances, the college admissions process can be daunting for students and their families. However, as we continue to face the defining global health crisis of our time, this process is continually undergoing significant changes, leaving many wondering where to turn. The Shipley School’s College Counseling team is here to help, with the following tips for navigating the college admissions process amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Relationships make the world go ’round, and as the “R” in PERMA, they’re vital to maintaining well-being. The need to experience positive, meaningful connections with others is a biological imperative, and we should tend to our relationships with care. It’s important for us to build healthy connections, ones in which we give and also receive the benefits of those bonds—including joy, compassion, advice, companionship, and so much more. People with positive relationships can claim healthier and longer lifespans, more resilience, better performance at work, as well as many other life perks. So how can we connect and engage meaningfully with others in a time of physical distancing? Here are some resources to help you.

Engagement is what you experience when an activity completely absorbs you. It’s a process, an action that puts you fully in the moment and can provide an emotional response in the form of joy, calm, or happiness. Engagement-inducing activities can also trigger a series of chemical releases in your body that create an actual physical feeling of well-being. That rush can cause you to lose track of time and transcend any sense of self-consciousness—what some refer to as Flow. 

Compassionate Participation in the World is both a pillar of Shipley's mission and an important part of being a Shipley community member. So, how can we continue to engage in service during a time of social distancing? View these tips from Shipley's Service Learning Team for participating in Compassion in Action from home.