Building for a Greater Purpose

The team of educators here at Brimmer are well educated and ready to offer you an outstanding year in the classroom. Your teachers have each pursued their own education and have strong capacity for questioning, imagining, creating, and responding to change. I hope you fully grasp the privilege you have by being in each one of their classrooms.

Each year, our administration reflects on our Mission and Guiding Principles, on societal influences, and on our personal reaction and responses to the world. This morning, you will hear from senior level educators and our Senate president about our theme, Learn with Intention. Lead with Integrity. Our annual theme is intended to amplify a portion of our work with our students. For my part, I will begin by sharing an overview of this theme by using a rather obvious metaphor to illustrate my thoughts.

Right now on campus, something amazing is happening. Concrete was poured in July. Steel beams are rising. Day by day, piece by piece, a vision is becoming reality. Our new Recreation & Wellness Center is taking shape.

It started quietly—we raised the funds, a few surveyors came by to measure and assess, soil was tested. Slowly, the pieces connected. Soon we will see it: a space buzzing with energy—students sprinting down a court, stretching in yoga, cheering from the bleachers. We are very excited, and rightfully so. This is a big deal. It's something we can point to and say: That's progress.

However, the most important construction project on this campus is not made of brick or steel or glass. It is happening right here, inside each one of you. Every builder starts with a blueprint that skilled architects have drawn, revised, and drawn again. Without one, they do not know where the walls go or how the pieces fit. A good builder does not pour a foundation without knowing the purpose of the structure. Learning is much the same. Learning with intention means knowing why you show up every day—not just because there's a test, not because you "have to," but because you are building something in yourself that will matter.

When crews poured the foundation for our new building, they did not rush. They measured. They checked levels. They let the concrete cure just right. Why? Because if the foundation is weak or uneven, the whole building will suffer. The same is true for you. If you rush through your learning—skimming instead of exploring, memorizing instead of understanding and yes, using AI tools carelessly—you are building on shaky ground.

This year, I hope you will ask yourself “Why am I learning this? How will I use it? What will it allow me to build later?” Because without intention, you're just stacking bricks. With intention, you are creating something that will stand for years.

After the foundation is ready, the builders raise the framework—the steel beams that give the building its strength. Without them, a building might look fine for a while, but the first heavy storm will bring it down. In life, those beams are integrity. Integrity is doing what's right even when no one's watching. It's choosing to follow your values over convenience and expediency.

A beautiful building with a weak frame will collapse. A talented, successful person without integrity will too. We have all seen it—athletes who cut corners, leaders who put themselves before the team, students who trade honesty for a quick advantage. They might "win" for a moment, but the structure does not hold. Leading with integrity means that when pressure comes—and it will—you won't crumble. It means you can trust yourself, and others can trust you too.

Integrity isn't flashy and cannot always be seen or heard. While you do not always see it, it is holding you up every single day.

Our new Recreation & Wellness Center is not being built just so we can say we have a new building. It's being built for what will happen inside of it: the teamwork, the health, the resilience, the joy. Your education is the same. It is not just for grades or diplomas or even college acceptance letters. It is for the kind of person you are becoming. For the difference you will make in the world.

When you learn with intention and lead with integrity, you are not just building for yourself. Rather, you are creating someone who can shelter, inspire, and strengthen others. You are building so you can help the society you live in be “better and better.” The truth is that every single day, you are both architect and builder of your own life. Every choice is a hammer strike. Every habit is a beam. Every act of kindness or honesty is a stone that strengthens the walls.

Next fall, you will walk into our new Recreation & Wellness Center. You will see the smooth floorboards, the bright lights, the strong walls, and you will know it did not just appear. It was built—piece by piece—with vision, care, and purpose.

And when you see it, I hope you remember this: The most important work you will ever construct is yourself. So, learn with intention. Lead with integrity. And build something that matters, lasts, and makes your life and the lives of others better.