At Keystone, we take pride in working to help others

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
– Coretta Scott King

So often, I am impressed by the kindness and thoughtfulness of people in the Keystone community. Our students go out of their way to create and implement projects that help others less fortunate than themselves. Faculty and staff members volunteer their time and their talents on behalf of Keystone but also in the greater San Antonio community. Parents jump in and model for their children what it means to be a doer rather than a spectator. Simply put, Keystone cares.

Whether it’s the invasion of Ukraine and Lower School students creating bracelets to support relief efforts, or an 8th grader calling for supplies to aid victims of the earthquake in Turkey, Cobras see a problem and want to do something.

One of these efforts changed the way Keystone funds prom. A couple of years ago, the Class of 2021 opted to donate all the money raised for their suddenly-canceled prom to the San Antonio Food Bank. Inspired by their altruism, the school implemented a new process where the administration matches what the students raise on Valentine’s Day for Prom, and the funds the students collect through their hard work go to charities of their choice. Since then, senior classes have supported causes around the country and the world.

That spirit fills our Cobra Code, which began last summer, when the Keystone faculty/staff wanted to ensure that students understood our school’s core values on a deep level. We have the school’s four pillars of academic excellence, ethical growth, community involvement, and responsible leadership, but sought to articulate them with words that could inspire Cobras from Little School on up. Since then, we have posted the Cobra Code all over both campuses and strive to imbue our work with these five concepts of integrity, curiosity, creativity, empathy, and service.

We want to help our young people make a positive difference in the world. Early in my tenure at Keystone, I met with a former mayor and he took me to task. He said, “you’ve got all this brainpower on the campus, what are y’all doing to make San Antonio a better place.” He challenged us to reach out more and leverage our bright and motivated students to improve the city we call home.

Since that conversation, we have redoubled our efforts to encourage and empower our students’ initiative and desire to serve others. They stepped up during the pandemic to create new partnerships with nonprofit organizations like SA Youth. Thanks to the leadership of one of our seniors, they are tutoring children in war-torn Ukraine. We have expanded our service programs into the middle school in the past few years, and they now learn how to help the hungry here in San Antonio. Again and again and with assistance from the school, students develop and implement plans once they have identified a need in the community. They inspire us to do more and be better.

Closer to home, parents, too, support Keystone in a variety of ways. Whether it’s working with PTO, speaking to classes, offering shadowing opportunities, or individuals helping out however and wherever they can, our parents are also inspiring.

This Friday evening, we celebrate our second annual Food and Drink Festival that aids the school and helps support the important work of challenging and nurturing our bright and talented young people to realize their full potential inside and outside the classroom. Members of the Cobra community have stepped up impressively, and we look forward to the evening being both enjoyable and fruitful. Thank you so much to everyone who has given.

On a personal level, my wife and I deeply appreciate all the kind words, prayers, and offers of help over the past two weeks. You have been incredibly kind and generous, and we are sincerely grateful.

Last year, in a conversation with Mr. Tijerina, one of our parents said, “We came for the academics; we stayed for the community.” This is an exceptional community, and we appreciate all you do to make Keystone, San Antonio, and the greater world a better place.