Each year at Concord Hill, we choose a theme to ground and guide our work together. This year, our theme is Small but Mighty. It reflects both who we are as a school and what we believe about children: that even the smallest among us are capable of creating change, shaping community, and making a lasting impact.

At our very first whole-school Community Meeting, I shared Susan Verde’s book I Am One. The book offers “a powerful call to action for young children, encouraging them to raise their voice, extend a hand, and take that one first step to starting something beautiful and moving toward a better world.” One part in particular resonated deeply:

“I can make One drop in the water…to start ripples…that become swells, then waves traveling over oceans…across borders and boundaries…landing on distant shores to start a chain reaction, inspire a movement, make a change.”

The following week, I showed a video of what happens when a single touch brushes the surface of water. We watched together as rings expanded further and further, illustrating how even the smallest action can grow into something much larger.

In the days that followed, I found myself humming a song with a very similar message. The Will Ferrell Christmas movie Spirited (which I don’t necessarily recommend for children, but is worth a watch for adults!) has a big musical number called “Ripple.” Before I knew it, I was walking around singing the chorus:

“Do you wanna make a ripple, ripple, ripple?
I think you wanna make a ripple, ripple, ripple…
To throw a tiny stone into a mighty stream
And watch the ripples as they spread.”

It’s catchy, but it also captures something important about our theme this year: Small but Mighty. At Concord Hill, we see every action, no matter how small, as carrying meaning and potential to grow.

Just last week, three of our third graders, our “seniors” and leaders, showed us exactly what that can look like. They wrote me a letter after noticing a problem on the playground in how the space was being cared for. Rather than simply telling me, they asked to present at our Friday Community Meeting. With courage and care, they stood before the whole school, shared what they noticed, and invited their peers to do better together.

That was their ripple. And already, it has spread. This is what Small but Mighty means at Concord Hill. The smallest voices, choices, and actions matter. They carry weight. And when multiplied, they can lead to real and lasting change.