In my many roles for the Looking Glass student newspaper at Montrose, I have had the pleasure of sharing so many loving, heartfelt, meaningful stories of my many talented Maverick friends. One of my favorites was when I had the opportunity to speak with our fearless leader, Mrs. Katie Elrod. I spoke with Mrs. Elrod at the beginning of her time as Head of School and discussed how she decided to be an educator, the purpose behind a Montrose education, and the many different ways in which Montrose has blessed her over the years. In her third year, I had the privilege to sit again in the very comfy, brown swivel chairs in her navy blue office to speak with her again.
I began first by having Mrs. Elrod share any reflections she has had in her time these past two years as Head of School. I asked her to share any challenges, hardships, and surprises that came along her journey so far and she shared two anecdotes. First, she replied: “One way in which I try to live, which is a Montrose way of life, is to be comfortable being uncomfortable.” At Montrose, we are challenged to ask the “big questions” and seek their answers. Many of us, though, are hardwired to believe that when we don’t have the answer immediately or even have the correct answer at all, we have failed. Mrs. Elrod reminds us that we should learn to really be “comfortable in the uncomfortable”. She commented: “It’s not about controlling all of the different variables. It’s just about being curious”. In order to practice this, Mrs. Elrod remarks: “I ask the basic questions of what I am aiming at, what do I know, what do I need to know, and who can help. These four questions are invaluable in my job”. Not only in Mrs. Elrod’s role as Head Of School but also in our role as students at Montrose, we should utilize these four questions and our education in the habits of mind, heart, and character to thoughtfully approach each and every day with intention and an understanding of what we are aiming at.
Secondly, Mrs. Elrod responded with the importance of the virtue and gratitude she has developed over her time at Montrose: “It’s about curiosity, humility, and gratitude. Gratitude is the most important virtue to cultivate. You just realize: everything is a gift. Our life, this school is just all a gift.” Emblazoned across every red quarter zip and echoed in many of Mrs. Elrod’s inspirational remarks throughout the year, each and every Maverick is someone who is “unique, unrepeatable, and called to greatness.” This saying is one that truly encapsulates Montrose and the dignity of each individual in this community as members who can contribute their gifts and talents to serve others. Mrs. Elrod credits being Head of School as a way to develop this virtue: “Being Head Of School, you just see it on a daily basis. You see people who are so grateful for the education, opportunity to work, opportunity to just be a part of the school in some small way and that just puts you in the position of receiving. Life isn’t just always about being productive or efficient”.
At the beginning of the year, during our first all-school assembly, Mrs. Elrod called upon the entire Montrose community to view each year as a treasure hunt and to remember the ultimate question that Barbie herself posed in the blockbuster film of the summer: “What was I made for?” After a diagnosis of cancer in the fall, Mrs. Elrod reflects on how her health journey helped her to develop gratitude and curiosity to discover the purpose of her “treasure hunt:” “All of life is a gift. Everything that happens is what has been purposefully designed for you. When you go about your day and you’re in the position of knowing that you’re made in the image and likeness of God and God has designed this incredible adventure for you, your job is to be open to discover what that is. You don’t always have to create a new identity or path. You have to be open to something you may have never anticipated before because it’s not all about your design.” There are many factors in our life that can cause us to be anxious or worried about what will come next. In discussing the importance of “surrendering” and allowing others to help us, Mrs. Elrod shared: ”I am able to realize that I have to ‘not do’ in order ‘to do.’” Knowing that we have an amazing support team of faculty, staff, mentors, and God, we can trust that all of our problems can be worked out through careful prayer, reflection, and a plan to re-align ourselves back on the path to discovering the ultimate purpose of our “treasure hunts.” Mrs. Elrod then shared a reflection given by Ms. Rice in the Dante class for moms offered every Friday: “If we really could see and comprehend who God really was, our minds would explode. The very fact that we can’t put God in our minds is the sign ultimately that who we are is a gift from God.” Through everything that Mrs. Elrod went through, she took comfort in knowing that the powerful and merciful God we place our faith in had a plan for her and she was resting all of our prayers and thoughts on His incredible shoulders.
Mrs. Elrod then began to share the common misconception that is associated with bad or surprising news, such as a cancer diagnosis: “The idea that everything that is surprising doesn’t necessarily have to be bad news. We live in a world where anything that is unpredictable is bad. From God’s point of view, all of this is opportunity.” Whether it be a bad grade, a missed goal, a forgotten line, or any other difficulty we face, each moment is an opportunity to realize the world in front of us; one that is filled with so many people, places, and things that are gifts, given to us by God to help discover meaning. In her remarks on the first day of school, Mrs. Elrod shared the story of Elisabeth Smith Friedman, an inspiring and purpose-driven code breaker who viewed each moment of her life as a gift and utilized her hardships to demonstrate adversity. For Elisabeth, Mrs. Elrod said, “what was a closed door became an open one.” When we are able to practice virtue, especially gratitude, Mrs. Elrod believes that we can “notice” the gifts of God’s love and those around us as “something that has been there” throughout our entire lives.
As a senior, among many others in my class, I know that it has been very difficult to appreciate every moment in the midst of college applications, rigorous academic courses, extra-curricular commitments, and more. I have also struggled with not viewing each of the traditional moments that make Montrose so special as my “lasts.” During my “last” first day of school, my “last” homecoming, and my “last” Montrose decorating day, I wondered what Mrs. Elrod’s advice to the senior class would be for practically living in the moment rather than feeling sadness or regret for these events as moments that are closer to the end of our time here at Montrose. Mrs. Elrod responded with an amazing analogy: “Senior year is one foot here and one foot somewhere else. You don’t even know where your feet are so you are unbalanced. Leaning into that is important. That’s the tension of where you are. Accept all of that. Don’t try to manage it or wish it away. Once you accept, you can be present. The hardest thing psychologically is to manage the feelings. Feel how you feel.” Because of the overwhelming emotions and feelings associated with the ups and downs of senior year, we feel as if we need to control how they are influencing our work, emotions, and relationships. Mrs. Elrod’s advice to just let myself “feels” my feelings and “accept” the present are quotes that will be hung up in my locker in the Senior Commons to remind me on a daily basis to enjoy one of the most amazing gifts I have been given in this world: to be a Maverick. Mrs. Elrod says: “All you can do is breathe. Be open to that moment. In that moment, it will be what it will be.”
As we begin the new year and a new semester in the academic year, I encourage you all to remember these insights given by Mrs. Elrod:
- View your life as a gift, one that is given by God and is an amazing opportunity for you to discover your purpose on your “treasure hunt” of life.
- Be present in each and every moment. “Feel how you feel” and remember to breathe.
- Reflect on how in your life you can answer the question, “How do we stay present in the moment to be able to be open to what God has for us?”
- We are all unique and unrepeatable women who have wonderful gifts and talents to share with others and are called to greatness.
By Kate Novack, Features Editor
