Year of the Risk-Taker
At Carrollwood Day School, courage and curiosity go hand in hand. This year, our CDS community embraces risk-taking, not as recklessness, but as the key to growth, resilience, and leadership.
At Carrollwood Day School, we begin each year with a guiding focus rooted in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile.
This year, our community turns its attention to what may be the most misunderstood trait of all: the risk-taker.
Risk-taking in education is not about recklessness. Rather, it is about the courage to approach new challenges, the willingness to embrace uncertainty, and the resilience to learn from mistakes. Within the IB framework, risk-taking is foundational to developing principled, caring, and reflective learners who can thrive in an increasingly complex world.
Educational psychology consistently reinforces this truth. Wendy Mogel, in The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, reminds us that genuine protection lies not in shielding children from every hazard, but in equipping them to navigate risks on their own. Similarly, Jessica Lahey in The Gift of Failure emphasizes that mistakes and setbacks are the raw material for growth—teaching persistence, innovation, and adaptability. When schools create safe, supportive environments for students to stretch beyond what feels comfortable, they are not inviting danger; they are cultivating resilience.
Risk-Taking Across Divisions
At CDS, we see risk-taking play out in developmentally distinct ways across all divisions. In the Lower School, risk might mean a student raising a hand to share an uncertain answer or using a new strategy to solve a math problem. It could be standing in front of their peers at morning opening and reciting a poem they wrote all on their own. These small acts of bravery establish the foundation for a growth mindset. In Middle School, risk becomes more intellectual: challenging assumptions, proposing original ideas, or exploring creative solutions in interdisciplinary work. By Upper School, risk-taking evolves into leadership, students advocating for change, pursuing ambitious academic projects, or stepping onto global stages where the stakes are real and the outcomes uncertain. At each level, students are encouraged to reflect, recalibrate, and try again, internalizing the understanding that meaningful learning requires courage.
Entrepreneurship in Action
This year’s launch of the CDS Entrepreneurship Institute illustrates our commitment to this principle. Entrepreneurship, by its very nature, demands risk-taking. From incubating business ideas and pitching to authentic audiences, to exploring social entrepreneurship and interning with community partners, our students will learn that innovation is born from uncertainty. With guidance from faculty and mentors, they will take risks not for the sake of novelty, but in service of principled, mission-driven goals.
A Parent’s Perspective
For parents, the language of risk can understandably stir anxiety. We are wired to protect our children from harm, and failure can feel like a wound we want to prevent. Yet within an educational setting designed to nurture and support, risk is not only appropriate - it is essential. Each setback carries within it the possibility of resilience; each bold step forward strengthens both confidence and competence.
As an IB World School, CDS is uniquely positioned to cultivate risk-takers who act with integrity, lead with empathy, and adapt with resilience. This is not about producing fearless individuals but about empowering thoughtful, courageous learners who can navigate complexity with character.
This year, we invite our students to step boldly into the unknown, to embrace curiosity, and to discover that true growth emerges when we dare to take risks. It is in these moments, when students test their ideas, stand for their values, and venture beyond their comfort zones, that they become the kind of leaders prepared and inspired to better the world.
At Carrollwood Day School, 2025 is the year of the risk-taker.
Have you taken a risk this year? Email the MARCOM Department, and your story may be showcased on the Portrait of a Patriot Blog.