In the words of Henry David Thoreau: “one must maintain a little of summer, even in the midst of winter.”

Indeed. As we celebrate the half-way mark in the school year — and the conclusion of our winter Parent-Teacher Conferences — I’d like to take a moment to recall our theme for the year: grace and resilience. Back in August, when I spoke to several of my colleagues about this concept as a possible theme, we perceived it as celebratory, feeling pretty certain that we had navigated the worst of our challenges.  

And, remarkably, we have maintained in-person learning through this most recent challenging surge in illness. Only a handful of our students have been required to make use of Zoom learning, and most of them have bounced back pretty quickly from their illnesses. We are here — in person — and we have managed tough challenges, together.

I am grateful.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the phenomenal dedication of our faculty and staff. As the day care centers for their children closed or their in-house nannies tested positive, or, even worse, when they or their children or other family members became infected with COVID, our faculty remained resolute. They offered to cover each other’s classes, met with advisories, supervised Zoom sessions and much more, all for each other. And, equally important, they have remained true to their mission: the teaching and mentoring of your sons.

I am so very grateful to them.

So, as we celebrate this national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and you’re saying your prayers for your family, please consider adding our faculty and staff to your list.  

In peace,

Judy Mohan
Assistant Head of School for Intellectual Formation