A Letter from the Board of Trustees Chair

My name is Matt Wojewuczki, and I am privileged to be the Board Chair for Canterbury School.  For those who do not know me, my wife and I have four children and have been part of the Canterbury community for more than 20 years. We have three children who have matriculated through Canterbury, and one entering Grade 10. The oldest just graduated from the University of Michigan and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Our oldest daughter is a rising senior at the University of Michigan and is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering. Our youngest son, a recent graduate of Canterbury, is moving on to the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Bloomington and will be joining Air Force ROTC in the Fall. Our youngest daughter is still at Canterbury, and I can tell you that the time truly does fly – so enjoy EVERY moment you can while your kids are still in school (apologies for the unsolicited advice). I know things get busy in every home, but what I wouldn’t give for those “challenging” times with younger kids in Early Childhood, the Lower School, and Middle School!

I am starting my third and final year as the Board Chair, and I can tell you that never have I been more optimistic about the direction of our school. Clearly COVID-19 created unique challenges for all, but our community rallied and came together.  I am part of a few other Board Chair networks, and I can say with certainty that many schools, even in the Independent School world, did not fare as well as we did. That is a testament to our outstanding faculty and the leadership of our administrators. I’d like to personally thank all of them for their tireless efforts during the pandemic. Additionally, I’d like to thank the collaboration between the Foundation and the Board of Trustees; our shared vision for the growth and success of the school has never been stronger.

When I think about the preparation Canterbury has offered our four children in the areas of Artist, Athlete, and Scholar – I am incredibly thankful.  My children tend to skew more athletically (although my youngest is surprising us all with her passion for the arts), but each one was in every play offered through Grade 8.  If not for the Canterbury focus on supporting all aspects of the child’s development, my children would not have had that experience. In the area of athletics, the inclusion policy is fantastic, and I always love to see kids try things they may not otherwise have tried if they were in a different school.  A great example is our youngest son who played competitive golf for the first time his senior year; and enjoyed the experience thoroughly. Canterbury continues to excel in academics, and I am pleased that we continue to hold ourselves to the highest possible standard in this area. The Board of Trustees is currently updating our five-year strategic plan, and it will be structured around our Artist, Athlete, Scholar motto. We look forward to sharing this with the community when it is completed.

In closing, I want to again thank everyone in the community for rallying together during this challenging year. It really is a testament to our culture, and it makes me proud to be part of such an amazing community. Thank you – enjoy the summer – I look forward to seeing you all in the fall!