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Quite A First Year

Taking control of an unforgettable year
When I took on this role less than a year ago, I knew that I was signing on for the job of a lifetime. I knew that being a head of school was not a job for the faint of heart, that it required strength of character, the courage of convictions, leadership with integrity, and, above all, abiding love of children and the teachers who guide and shape them. 
 
Many people have commented to me that I have had “quite a first year.” And I have. But throughout, there have been moments, many moments of exquisite joy. I remember during the first week of school, when a three-year-old girl whom I was helping out of the car quietly grabbed my hand, in a move that spoke of genuine trust, and looked up at me, simply communicating that my job was to take care of her. I have a photo of that moment, and I look at it often. 
 
There have been other moments -- when sixth-grade boys found their way into Primary Hall during a weather alert, and we gave them food. “This is paradise,” one of them commented, and, somehow, in the weeks that followed, during every weather alert, a cohort of sixth-grade boys managed to find shelter in Primary Hall.
 
There have been awesome plays, and dance recitals, and games. There have been impressive classroom visits, and assemblies, and a chorus of “good mornings.” There have been alumni panels for seniors, and faculty meetings in which we have “celebrated the good.” Yes, there have been moments that were challenging, but they were offset by being on what I believe is the most beautiful campus on earth, in the company of young people and teachers, whom I am privileged to call my students and colleagues. 
 
And now. 
 
Now we know for certain that we cannot open our campus again for the remainder of the year. We know for certain that our commencement will not take place in the manner we expected it to. Ironically, as a new person to the community, I don’t know exactly what I will be missing when it comes to our traditional events. In early March, when I looked at my calendar for April and May - now completely re-arranged with an endless array of zoom meetings - I got an inkling that true to our MCDS nature, we were going to celebrate our students, parents, and teachers with the enthusiasm and joy I have come to expect. And I was so looking forward to all of it.
 
Celebrations and traditions are indelibly connected to the relationships we hold dear. And letting go of our expectations around these is tough. Celebrations and traditions connect us, not just to each other, but to the students, teachers, and parents who have come before and who, like us, were experiencing a similar moment or milestone. Celebrations and traditions connect us to something bigger than ourselves. 
 
Grieving the loss of all of this (not saying goodbye in person, not celebrating as we expected) is a perfectly normal reaction. It is one I feel, too. But for the students we love, I am going to ask all of us to do what may feel impossible in this moment: to finish out the year with the same celebratory, enthusiastic energy we would have displayed had we been on campus. I am going to ask us to put our resilience, our pride, and our strength on full display and in ways that bring us together, even when physically distant. 
 
I know that, right now, it is hard to fully embrace this idea. But I also know that Miami Country Day is a school where honor, respect, wisdom, and compassion are not just words -- they are values that underscore our actions. Together, these core values weave a tapestry of love, and strength, and pride. 
 
This year has been unforgettable for many reasons beyond our control. Let’s make it unforgettable on our own terms, too.
 
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