From Twelve to Infinity: TVS Celebrates Year 8
This year, although seemingly just like each that came before, was notable in the history of our school: this year marks The Village School’s eighth year of operation. I know we typically celebrate years in fives or tens, but the number eight has a significance that should not go unnoticed.
The number eight traditionally signifies infinity, as it’s the only number other than zero that has a completely connected figure. Mathematician John Wallis first introduced the infinity symbol in the year 1656 in his published work, Arithmiteca Infinitorium. While historians agree the idea of infinity existed well before Wallis’ publishing, there are various theories about what inspired the horizontal eight symbol. Some believe it was an attempt at a typed version of the ouroboros, a symbol depicting a snake or a dragon eating its own tail that dates back to ancient Egypt. The ouroboros was used to symbolize the unity of all things and the never ending cycle of destruction and rebirth.
At The Village School we often reference a similar ubiquitous cycle similar to that of the ouroboros: The Hero’s Journey. We display images of the journey in our studios and discuss the different phases with the learners. Research and our experience show that relating an experience such as learning a challenging math concept or starting a new project to taming a dragon or crossing the threshold on a hero’s journey is empowering and can have positive long term effects on academics and self-worth. Our learners (and all of us) are constantly moving through the hero’s journey and a cycle of destruction and rebirth, and so is our school.
Eight years ago The Village School started its first year with 12 learners and 3 guides with a mission that hasn’t changed: to give young people agency in their learning so they can discover their passions and uniquely contribute to the world. Each year the school has grown and changed with new families, a new campus, new systems, and a newfound urgency to create a place where all learners can thrive. We begin each year with an infinite set of possibilities.
At the end of last school year, we graduated our largest group of 8th graders, sending them off to their next adventure with a backpack, an inscribed copy of one of our favorite books, and a character rock. Each item symbolic in their own way, they are temporary and tangible. We don’t expect learners to hold on to any of these forever; they are not infinite. However, we do hope that the experiences they’ve had while under our care are.
If we are fulfilling the mission our school was founded on eight years ago, the impact that each of our graduates will have on the world will be infinite. Their knowledge of themselves, their ability to learn, overcome obstacles, and make the world a better place will have a ripple effect as they continue to go through their own cyclical paths. Their contributions to the world is and will be the legacy of our school.
And, similar to the young people we serve, our school is also growing and changing. Now, in our eighth year our school mission is the same and our goal has shifted. We’re less focused on nurturing and more focused on becoming. We are stable and rooted, ready to discover the infinite ways we might grow.
As we stand at the threshold of our eighth year, we see clearly what the infinity symbol means to us: that growth, learning, and impact have no endpoint. Each learner who walks through our doors brings infinite potential, and each one who leaves takes that potential out into the world to create infinite possibilities for themselves and others. This school year, we wish you a neverending sense of wonder and joy as you witness your children's growth, knowing that the seeds of agency, curiosity, and contribution planted here will continue to bloom in ways we may never fully know - and that's exactly as it should be.
