Bobcat Stories

August 21, 2026

Dear Bosque School Families,

Welcome back! As I write this, we are officially one full week into the school year, and I can assure you that for me and the staffulty, we are feeling so joyful to have our students, the heartbeat of our community, return to campus.  

At our Convocation ceremony last week, I shared some reflections for the year ahead, inspired by Toy Story 5, which I saw (and loved) this summer. If you can believe it (and to make me feel old!), the original Toy Story came out thirty-one years ago, the year after Bosque started (and when I was a freshman in college!). 

Toy Story was Pixar’s first feature film and the first fully computer-animated feature film ever made. My dad, who was always an early adopter of new technology, insisted that I watch it with him. I admit that I wasn’t an immediate fan. Maybe I was too old, or not old enough, or simply at that stage in life when I felt compelled to rebel against anything my parents loved. It wasn’t until about twenty years later, watching the movies alongside my own son, that I finally understood why they were so adored.

So when I heard that Toy Story 5 was about the arrival of Lilypad, a tablet that suddenly shifts Bonnie’s attention away from her beloved toys, I was immediately intrigued. As both a parent and an educator, I thought I knew exactly what the movie would be about. Like many of us, I've watched firsthand over the years as technology has transformed childhood, parenting, relationships, and learning. I expected this to be a story about screens.

But that isn’t at all what ended up resonating most with me. Instead, I was really touched by how the movie approaches that fragile space between childhood and adolescence; the moment when young people begin to absorb the message that growing up and fitting in means leaving behind the very things that make childhood so special: curiosity, imagination, wonder, playfulness, and joy.

It’s a heartbreaking transition that I am guessing all of us may have experienced, in a variety of ways, with our own children. Often, we can see it happening almost in slow motion.  And one of the things I love most about Bosque is how we buffer this transition.

There is no question that we are a school with extraordinary outcomes and extraordinarily accomplished students. But what truly sets us apart is that we don’t believe students have to stop being kids to become successful adults. Our students debate Shakespeare in the morning and fling frogs at Fall Fiesta in the evening; They radio-collar porcupines and, minutes later, are in hot pursuit of a classmate in sticker tag; They paint beautiful pumpkins for the annual Halloween advisory contest, and then subsequently fling them across the lower field by trebuchet, all cheering as they smash into the ground.

Bosque creates the conditions for our students to engage in deep, thoughtful, challenging learning, while still making regular room for childlike delight. 

As our students have returned to campus, I have seen that delight on their faces as they reconnect with their friends, meet new friends, get to know their teachers, buzz with excitement about new classes, athletics, and extracurricular opportunities, and just ground back into the warmth of Bosque. 

Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of being part of your child’s (and family’s)  journey. The partnership between our families and staffulty is a critical part of what makes Bosque such a strong community. 

We will have an opportunity to come together soon at Back-to-School Night on Thursday, September 3. We are excited to welcome you to campus and give you a glimpse into your child’s daily experience at Bosque. Look for further details about the evening next week.

In the meantime, here’s to another amazing school year filled with delight, wonder, challenge, connection, and so much joy.

Warmly,

Jessie Barrie, Ph.D.
Head of School

To see Dr. Barrie’s speech, as well as the student speakers and a special musical performance, view this year’s Convocation in its entirety here.