Greetings Brightworks Community—both new and returning friends,

Can you believe it? In just under a month, the 2025–26 school year will begin! As we turn the page together into a new chapter, I’d like to reintroduce myself. I am entering my sixth year at Brightworks, and in this time, I have had the distinct pleasure of participating in this community in many different ways. My journey to my current role as Head of School began during the pandemic, working with Brightworks middle schoolers. Since then, I have fostered growth in our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ), taught high schoolers, hosted school-based cultural and educational events, and served as Assistant Head of School. All the while, my investment in doing school differently–alongside all of you–continues to grow.   

As I reflect on my journey to this year, I think back to 30 years ago—launching an afterschool program for teens at the Langston Hughes Library and Cultural Center in Queens, New York. I think of my sturdy hiking boots, scaling the banks of the Bronx River with a dozen young people, removing invasive knotweed for the Bronx River Restoration Project, another teen-centered program. I also remember fondly my work as Program Coordinator with NYC Head Start Training Institute and the parents and young children who visited our small sanctuary in Brooklyn.  

After moving to Oakland, these pivotal experiences and others led me to walk in the traditions of the great Panther legacy of community Freedom Schools–first out of necessity for my own children, and then working in deep collaboration with others who also sought a more liberatory choice for their children. I stand on the shoulders of grassroots, community-based educators like Erika Huggins and Septima Clark, who reimagined school in service of the children and adults in front of them – visionaries who paved the way for the world of independent learning we now inhabit and celebrate. 

My early education was shaped by vast travel,  where I gained deep compassion for those who seek home, hope, and safety far from their native shores.  I learned that we humans keep learning no matter the circumstances–through our interaction with our environments, through books, music, the oral histories of our elders, and through sharing resources with others on our path.  

My high school years were conventional and, in many ways, invisibilizing. It was only through the care of family, coaches, and mentors–those who met me eye-to-eye–that I began to see myself as a learner. Before that, I was just a student, one of many, disconnected from what was being asked of me. I vividly remember the moment I felt truly seen by my high school journalism teacher, Mr. Viaggio. He recognized my passion for writing and storytelling and empowered me to pursue something directly meaningful, with agency. This was a catalyzing moment, and one that I see echoed every day in the small but powerful choices and consistent actions our Brightworks Collaborators make to uplift and affirm young people. 

As a steward of this extraordinary school, I meet the current moment with hope, the seeds of which sparkle in the eyes of our young people. Their energy for life, ideas, friendships, small and important passions, and moments of wonder are generative to us all. 

I am profoundly grateful to you–beloved community–and to the Brightworks Board of Trustees and collective staff and faculty for your trust in me to partner with you as we continue to reimagine education together. We will build on the vision of Brightworks’ founder, Gever Tulley, and honor the contributions of the students, families, educators, and leaders of the past who have participated and found value in this project. 

Early in my tenure, I joined Brightworks DEIJ efforts and founded the Power & Privilege Committee with other school leaders to ensure that all Brightworks students and staff could feel the power of being seen and understood, and experience the warmth of true connection and belonging. These efforts are more necessary than ever!

Now is the time to chart our way forward using our mission and values as our North Star, guiding us to excellence in education.  As a community, we long for a peaceful world where all beings are held precious and have equitable access to our planet’s abundant resources. As educators, it is our charge to foster a love of learning that empowers and liberates youth, and cultivates lifelong seekers of knowledge, driven to create a better world.  

Brightworks is poised to step into a more luminous spotlight, not only a school that says YES! IT IS POSSIBLE, not only as a school that says EVERYTHING IS INTERESTING, but also as a school that knows what it is to evolve and grow into the best version of ourselves, and boldly lead as a vanguard of innovative and inspiring education for the youth of today. We cannot sleep.  We must dig in and continue to do the work.  Join us as we investigate, create, build, and play into our next iteration.

We will remain grounded in what we know to be true: child-centered, authentic, and meaningful education is powerful, effective– and transformative.

In community,
Michlene Cotter
Head of School
Brightworks