Well, Happy Birthday Southfield School! Seventy-five years old! We wear it well, don't we? Southfield has that wonderful mix of "old-time" charm, character and tradition with the latest and most innovative academic and social opportunities for our students. It's amazing really. Not surprising, however, since our school was founded on these same principles seventy-five years ago.

Let me take you back to the very beginning. I hope that once you grasp how and why this school was founded you will have a renewed sense of pride, honor and loyalty to a school whose principles have never wavered. For seventy-five years, Southfield School has stood by its mission to provide students with the tools to "develop a lifelong love of learning."

The year was 1934. Our nation was in the grips of the "Depression." A group of Shreveport parents met to discuss how they could improve their children's quality of education in a school setting. They felt deeply that a school could provide a better, more progressive, sort of education than the rote, lock-step learning they had been subjected to. They believed that their children could be afforded the opportunity to grow as human beings and not just in the academic realm of student life. These parents wanted to develop the "whole" child's sense of self, their ability to communicate with others and they wanted their children to be exposed to the world in a safe and healthy environment. These few families knew they were taking a risk. They were not just risking a year of their children's early education on a whim; they were also putting their reputation in the community and their financial contributions during a challenging economic period on the line.

They also understood that unless they took that leap of faith, nothing would change. I imagine they must have spent many nights thinking about how this could change the course of their young children's lives. I can almost picture them discussing the type of teacher they wanted to attract. They needed someone with the formal education that prepared them to teach in a "progressive" style, someone with a creative streak, someone who had lots of energy. They needed this teacher to share in their philosophy of teaching the "whole" child, as well as providing a rigorous academic environment. This teacher had to be intelligent, confident and sure of the School's mission. They knew that it would take money, time, risks and lucky breaks to see it all to fruition. It would also take hope and faith.

Even during the most challenging moments of the early years the school was open, I think they knew that when all was said and done, there would be others - teachers, parents and students - who shared their idealistic vision and passion for providing the very best educational opportunities for Shreveport's children. They believed in their mission and stood by their principles.

The first class of 20 children, and all who have followed in their footsteps these last 75 years, have offered so much to their communities. They excel not only in their academic endeavors but contribute much to world around them thanks to the lessons learned at Southfield. They are doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists and community leaders. These children have grown up to set the example in giving back to their community through a generous spirit of volunteerism and philanthropic giving learned during their time at the School.

To give your child the academic skills along with the tools and correct "stepping stones" to deal with life issues and grow up to give something back to the world around them is a gift beyond measure. That is what this School is to me - a treasure beyond measure.

Do you know that Southfield is the only parent-built and maintained school in our parish? I can only imagine how those few founding parents might feel about the growth of this School. I bet they never dreamed it would become a part of the history of Shreveport and provide our community with a legacy of innovative education.

We are now part of the "Southfield Legacy." I have such pride in this fact. I am so proud to say to anyone, anywhere, that my children attend Southfield School. It has affected and impacted our lives, and our children's lives, in ways we could not have foreseen when we enrolled our oldest child when he was only 6 months-old back in 1998.

I want to leave you with words from the very first headmaster, Mr. Ellsworth O. Van Slate. It is so poignant because this could very well have been said by our very own headmaster, Jeff Stokes, today. Van Slate stated, "The best assurance we have is the kind of citizens those youngsters are becoming. As I look back, it appears to me that our greatest achievement with them was not academic competence, but the FEELING they gained that it was THEIR school, they were important, and that what we did, teachers and children, we were doing together."

He continued, "Another thing that stands out in my mind was the fine spirit of cooperation on the part of the parents...they had a wide variety of ideas as to what the school should do with their children (and) they worked together in innumerable ways to make their common dream a reality."

I mean, really! Is there anything more I can say? We are living their dream! We are literally living the dream of those few visionaries, those risk-takers who wouldn't give up on the idea that there was a better way to educate their children. So Happy Birthday, Southfield! Happy Birthday, indeed!