Honoring Our Past, Committing to Our Future

Hi Everyone,

For those of you that are a part of the Guidepost and Higher Ground team, you already know that this week has been unusual. This week, Ray and Rebecca Girn, our founders, stepped out of the org. There has been a lot to process, to be sure, but the shift has also served as a moment for reflection. Reflection on who we are as an organization, how we've come to this point, and how we want to show up in the world going forward. And the good news is, there's a resounding re-commitment to the work, including both the current challenges and the joys, from myself and those surrounding me.

For so many of us, Ray and Rebecca are Higher Ground. This company exists because of Ray’s vision to change the world of education at its very core. And in each of our classrooms, Rebecca’s dedication to doing everything right, to the highest standards of programmatic excellence, is made manifest. The weight of this news is heavy- and as I’m sitting with it, I have also felt the urge to revisit the journey of Higher Ground to this point.

As our team came together to process and reflect on the sudden change, we shared “artifacts” – memories, experiences, photos, and moments- that represent our connection to our mission and the people we share it with. So many of you shared your artifacts, and the stream of memories and messages read like a tapestry of everything that is Higher Ground. Here are a few examples:

• “Core moment for me was hearing Ray speak for the first time in the leadership cohort when I joined 4 years ago. I remember feeling the spark inside me light back up.”

• “When I got hired it was in the very beginning through Craigslist, and I started as just a little AG in Nido and really connected with my Lead Guides and Joel & Rebecca saw the potential in me. Giving me the opportunity to grow and open a new school/classroom and have been here since and continued to move up within the company.”

• “This seems trivial, but I can’t shake the excitement I felt when I read the job description for the first role I applied for with HGE. I couldn’t believe an organization like this existed at this size and scale and with locations throughout the Midwest of all places. I knew the need for this work and knew that this was a mission I wanted to be a part of. I remember talking Ray’s ear off in the interview.”

• “I will never forget the experience of obtaining my first childcare license to open a new school and watching it fill with guides, children, and love.”

• “Seeing my own child thrive starting 2 months now almost 4 years old. Love the work we have created here on our campus, and want every school to feel as though they've made an impact and developed a close knit community.”

• “When I think about Guidepost and Higher Ground, I think about the support I have been given to continually grow and learn more. From my time in PMI as a Guide and the support from my HOS who always believed in me and what I was capable of, to my transition to AHOS and the mentoring and coaching I received, all the way to my time now as a part of a Regional Team and the ongoing push to keep growing and learning. The support from others is the first thing I think of when I reflect on my time here. It has pushed me to be a better Guide, Leader, and Human.”

• “Growing all the way from AG to HOS in the past 5 years that I have been here, now leading a wonderful team of educators!”

• “I’ve been inspired by the expansion of our entire community. This expansion isn’t just about size, yes, it’s rewarding/beautiful to see the community growing in numbers, but it’s about the deepening of the meaningful work we do. It’s seen in the way the children refine their learning in the classroom, the guidance the Guides provide, and how they, too, are expanding in their growth. It’s reflected in how parents are engaging, feeling heard, and seen. The joy is here, every day, even when the ceiling feels like it’s falling apart.”

As I continue to read the stream of messages that are still flowing in, and the picture they paint of who we are as an organization, a few things strike me. First, that so many of these moments represent a time when we have come together as a team. Our core memories are not of solitary work, but of school set-ups, or collaborative challenges, or of mentorship and support, building community with guides and with families. And second, that they represent times when we came together to do something hard.

That observation is crucial at this moment, when the work at hand is hard. We face the reality today, not only of a significant shift in the leadership of the organization, but also the reality that we have made mistakes that we are in the midst of acknowledging and resolving. In our eagerness to meet the vast vision of our mission, we overextended ourselves, growing our school network beyond what we could effectively support, both financially and operationally. As a result, we are now in the midst of closing nearly 1/3 of the school communities that have so lovingly been built over the past 9 years.

As we reflect on these artifacts - these moments of our team and work in action - I also see that our foundations are in place. We have an unparalleled team of educators, deeply committed to Montessori education and what it means for individual children, and empowered by unique curricular and training programs. As we recognize and accept our major organizational shifts and changes, we also come back more fully to our foundational strengths and mission. The passion, intelligence, and love that built Higher Ground are woven into the fabric of the organization, and that tapestry has not been cut- it continues to be created. We continue to create it.

Ultimately, I know that we will move forward with integrity, intelligence, and a renewed commitment to our roots, our mission, our purpose- and our future.

With respect and gratitude,

Maris Mendes
Co-CEO, Higher Ground Education