Wichita Collegiate School -

In August 1988, Wichita Collegiate School was a mystery to much of the Wichita community. Hidden behind a row of trees on Thirteenth Street, rumors about the school’s mission, students, faculty, and tuition were rife, especially among educators at other area schools. So, I approached my first faculty meeting nervous and excited.

At the beginning of the session, Headmaster Leonard Kupersmith entered the room and said, “Aren’t we lucky that we get to teach in this community? That we get to teach this curriculum? That we get to teach these students?” That is undoubtedly a paraphrase, since Dr. Kupersmith was very erudite, but that message has stayed with me ever since. This feeling was reinforced as the year began, and I found a host of extraordinary teachers who mentored me in the school culture, and, most importantly, I found my classroom filled with exceptionally motivated, talented students. 

For almost thirty-seven years, my belief that we are indeed “lucky” and that Wichita Collegiate School is a special place has persisted and grown stronger. However, for me, the foundation of this special nature has little to do with the excellence that surrounds us, whether that is championship banners in the gym, National Merit Finalists, college acceptances, or fourth-grade operas. These achievements, to me, are consequences, not causes. I believe that the true source of our exceptional position is that we are a school that holds strong beliefs. One of the most important of these beliefs is our commitment to the value of the liberal arts education.

In his 1883 semi-autobiographical novel Life on the Mississippi, Mark Twain tells the story of a young man who achieves his dream of being accepted as an apprentice riverboat pilot, whose job is to navigate the riverboat safely down a treacherous Mississippi River. He discovers not only that the job includes much manual labor but also that he is expected by his mentor to essentially memorize hundreds of miles of the river—-every wreck, every sandbar, every fallen tree: anything which would pose a threat to the boat. In a moment of frustration, the apprentice, Sam, asks the pilot, Bixby, why he has to memorize everything when there are maps, there are lookouts, and there are depth soundings. There are places to find the information. Bixby replies that sometimes, on a very dark night, all we have is what’s inside us.

The liberal arts, which consist of deep exposure to the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, fine arts, and mathematics, serve to prepare students for life. The primary objective of a liberal arts education is the development of critical thinking and communication skills, with the goal of developing the discipline and character necessary to make good decisions, both in day-to-day life and on those “dark nights” when we confront life’s most difficult challenges. The ability to make good decisions cannot be acquired quickly. Instead, it is built through persistent, consistent work.

Modern society appears to be posing a challenge to the liberal arts. On one hand, cultural and societal changes have pushed the idea of liberal arts education to the side, at times ascribing political agendas and motivations to classroom curriculums. On the other hand, the monumental advancements in technology, with their ability to make vast amounts of information available within moments, have also made the liberal arts seem less relevant. Why would we need to know, to memorize, to master information when our computers can give it to us in a heartbeat? The result is that society, at times, seems to view the liberal arts as a less pragmatic path than more narrowly focused courses of study. 

Since 1963, one of the guiding principles of Wichita Collegiate School has been its commitment to providing our students with the best college-preparatory liberal arts education possible. Our commitment is based on a belief that a broadly-based education provides students with an appreciation for the complexity of decisions that we face and with the context necessary to make sound judgments.

Humans are always open to the temptation of the simple answer and the easy option. Yet, most major decisions, whether on a personal or a societal level, are far too complex for a simple answer to be effective. The liberal arts is an open door to the understanding of complexity. Great novels give us insight into human nature and show us the importance of values like empathy, compassion, courage, and resilience. Mathematics and science reveal the complexity of the universe and the interrelationship between man and the physical world. History provides concrete, real-world examples of the actions and motivations that produce great triumphs and great tragedies. (As Mark Twain said, “History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”) The complexities evident in all these disciplines provide the context that enables us to be reflective and to apply deep critical thinking to our decisions. The understanding of complexity and context allows us better to separate what is good from what is not, what is true from what is not, what is pragmatic from what is not, and what is right from what is not.

William Deresciewicz, in his essay “Solitude and Leadership,” states that moral courage is the most essential element for personal or societal leadership. The ability to think an issue through until one is able to ask, after deep reflection, “What is the right thing to do?” and to accept the consequences of that choice is the essence of moral courage. The breadth and depth of a liberal arts education provide a path to the knowledge and character necessary to make the right choice.

The idea of the liberal arts education is sometimes seen as a static relic, one that does not reflect the challenges of the 21st-century world, and, if curriculums had remained unchanged through the years, this criticism might be valid. However, I believe that adapting to change has always been an important component of the liberal arts, and the curriculum at Wichita Collegiate School has been far from static. Indeed, one of the hallmarks of our school has been the ability to hold on to the aspects of our curriculum and culture that are essential while incorporating new techniques, technologies, and disciplines into our liberal arts curriculum. These innovations are obvious in any examination of the school’s scope and sequence or in a visit to our classrooms.

Nostalgia is an understandable phenomenon at any institution with a long history, and I have heard voices lamenting some of the changes that have taken place at our school. While I share some of this nostalgia, I also firmly believe that Wichita Collegiate School is, overall, a better school than when I joined the faculty in 1988. In my thirty-seven years of service to Wichita Collegiate School, I have seen many changes, and, in many ways, we are a dramatically different school than we were when I joined this very special place. However, I firmly believe that we are also very much the same school. We still believe in the magic that can happen between a dedicated teacher and motivated students.