Stories

There’s no place like ACDS: where authenticity takes center stage

April 16, 2025

April 2025 message from Head of Middle School Mark Bosick

If you asked most people which character from The Wizard of Oz best represents a typical middle schooler, many might quickly point to the Scarecrow — “If I only had a brain…” But for me, the heart of the middle school experience is captured by the Lion. He embodies the raw, vulnerable mix of courage and fear that so many young people carry. Because he is a lion, he believes he’s supposed to be bold, fearless, and powerful — the classic “King of the Jungle.” So, he portrays toughness: raising his fists, lashing out, pretending to be braver than he feels. Beneath it all, though, he quietly questions his own strength. It’s not until the end of the story that he — and the others — realize that what they’ve been searching for has always been within them. That journey mirrors what we see in our middle school every day. Our students are discovering who they are, grappling with self-doubt, leaning on friendship, and slowly — sometimes messily — learning that courage isn’t about the absence of fear, but the willingness to move forward in spite of it. 

“We’re shaped by the stories we tell, the creativity we share, and the values we hold. We see it every day in how our students learn from one another and add their own voices to the mix. ”

This week, that courage has been on full display. Our students — yes, the age group most known for feeling self-conscious — have taken to the stage, singing and dancing with joy, vulnerability, and heart. Just a few blocks away, others have shared their artwork with the community at the Aspen Art Museum and the Red Brick Center for the Arts. In every brushstroke, every note, they’ve taken a risk: the risk of being seen, the risk of not being perfect, the risk of being fully themselves.

That’s what authenticity looks like.

Authenticity grows in the rich soil of culture and community — two deeply human forces that give life its meaning. We build community through culture: through the art we make, the music we play, the theater we perform, and the ways we gather. We’re shaped by the stories we tell, the creativity we share, and the values we hold. We see it every day in how our students learn from one another and add their own voices to the mix. This is how we create something uniquely ours.

Across time and place, human beings have turned to creative expression — to song, rhythm, color, and movement — to teach, to connect, and to belong. Our ancestors told stories through dance and drawings. Today, our students do the same — stepping onto the stage, hanging their art on the wall — not just to perform, but to express who they are and what they believe.

At ACDS, culture and community thrive — in every grade, in every classroom, and especially through the arts. These spaces invite students to be seen, heard, and celebrated for their authentic selves.

As a newer member of this community, I came into this week expecting nerves and awkwardness. And while there may have been a little of that — after all, it’s middle school! — what I found instead was joy. Laughter. Applause. Love. This is a community that lifts up its children and helps them thrive.

So let’s celebrate that.

Celebrate the courage it takes to sing in front of an audience. Celebrate the creativity that shines through every painted canvas. Celebrate the culture we are building — one that values authenticity, encourages risk-taking, and reminds every student that who they are is enough.

And maybe there isn’t a Wizard of Oz character who fully captures this. But in Dorothy’s journey — in her realization that “there’s no place like home” — we find something close: the understanding that being true to yourself, and being surrounded by people who love you for it, is the greatest magic of all.