Head of School
Head of School
Brett Potash
Welcome to a school the world needs.
At Maharishi School, we recognize the ever-quickening pace of life and have chosen, instead, to find strength in slowing down. Like other schools, we ask students to think deeply. Unlike other schools, we make space for them to breathe deeply, recognizing that calmness leads to clarity. And as students face mounting pressure (whether from colleges or social media) to stand out, we find value in belonging to something bigger.
It starts by recognizing the primacy of a deceptively simple skill: attention. Our attention may, in fact, be the most valuable gift we can give to others and to our work. The ability to bring our full presence to a person, to a problem, to a place: that is the central challenge of our time. And while this challenge is a historical one, we are living in a pivotal moment when the capacity to pay attention is being manipulated and monetized on a global scale. That, in turn, is not only eroding our individual ability to focus but also threatening our collective ability to relate to one another and sustain just and equitable societies. By grounding our students in a practice of Transcendental Meditation, we enhance their capacity to direct their attention willfully. The role of a place like Maharishi School is more important than ever.
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Over twenty-five years in education have taught me a powerful lesson: the best schools are not the ones with the highest SAT scores or the largest endowment. They are, rather, the ones who march boldly toward a clear, singular mission, like Maharishi School’s focus on Consciousness-Based Education (CBE). Whether in our twice-daily meditation and yoga sessions, or in our Consciousness, Connections, and Life Skills class, we live our mission every day. We find the roots of attention and ground our students in a deep and abiding sense of self. I invite you to read more about CBE and how it manifests at our daring school. In the meantime, all you need to know is this: it creates an environment where we can, in the words of our mission statement, “think deeply and become creative, compassionate, contributing citizens of the world.” A place where students find meaning, and where teachers feel a sense of purpose. That alone solves many of the problems that plague more conventional schools.
This focus translates to real-world accomplishment. Over the past year, for example, Maharishi School students earned the trophy for the most successful high school in the State Science and Technology Fair. Not only did our students win first place in 4 of 12 categories, but a Maharishi School student was also named overall Grand Champion. We are also one of only 60 schools nationwide that earned a spot in NASA’s Techrise Student Challenge, meaning that our students’ payload design was chosen to launch in a high-altitude balloon reaching 72,000 feet! From state tennis qualifiers to National Merit selections, our educational model allows students to bring their full potential to a problem and discover creative solutions.
I’ll leave you with one final story, one that I hope will someday resonate with you. When my family visited Maharishi School for the first time, we spent three days meeting students, faculty and staff, parents, and board members. At the end of that process, which can often be an exhausting gauntlet, my wife – the wisest and most caring soul I know – turned to me and said, “I feel like we just got a big hug.”
I invite you to join the Maharishi School family in experiencing the transformative education that only a school like ours can offer.