28 Seeing Zay Flowers score a first-round NFL draft pick and Mike White sign as the Miami Dolphins’ new backup quarterback is thrilling. But any time you see NSU University School alumni who feel happy and successful counts among the best times for a teacher and administrator. For us, two words that are critical are “growth” and “mission.” We are fond of saying that we find the best in “U” at NSU University School, which everyone affectionately refers to as USchool. Every young person has a gift we want to bring out. That is why our mission is to cultivate a passion for learning and a culture of innovation. In a math classroom growing up, I never understood why teachers said, “There is only one way to solve this problem.” That is probably not true. Yet, the child who approached it another way was often marked wrong for not following the step-by-step process the math teacher wanted. That is not acceptable at USchool. Here, kids are encouraged to challenge, in an appropriate way, whether it be authority or how something is done. We have dynamic conversations. We empower kids to make decisions, work through failures, and help make things better. That is how you build a culture of innovation. WILLIAM J. KOPAS, ED.D. Head of School, NSU University School CULTURE OF INNOVATION This year, NSU USchool’s Lower, Middle, and Upper School students all captured multiple championship titles for robotics teams. Counting all seasons, levels, age groups, and divisions, NSU University School fields 46 athletic teams each year.
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