Happy Holidays! I hope this note finds you enjoying time with family and friends. I was particularly struck over the final few days of school by the many ways the holiday spirit was seeping into our daily interactions. Whether the Winter Formal event was organized by Student Council, the lion stuffies delivered by Santa’s Helper to all of our Preschool and Lower School students, or Secret Santa exchanges in our Middle School and Upper School, there was a feeling of lightness and joy animating our lives.
And then it occurred to me that this feeling has more or less been there all along. Yes, ’tis the season, but I’m realizing that this special place has a sense of lightness and joy that is always brimming just beneath the surface. There is, in the words of a parent I was recently speaking with, a sweetness to it. A softness and a warmth that seems to animate us, and to rise to the surface at just the right moments. And because of that, a sense of comfort and ease, so rare in a world in which we’re constantly asked to be more and deliver more.
I left for this break feeling that we have everything we need, and (surprisingly) eager to come back in two weeks to continue this journey we’re all on.
Classroom Events
It was delightful to walk around the school over the past couple of weeks and see all the ways our Lower School students were caring for and sharing with each other. Our second graders made cookies for the whole school, our third graders learned about the game of dreidel, our fourth graders read to our second graders for story time, and our preschoolers showed me how brilliantly they wash dishes after eating their treats.
Senior Trip
The seniors recently traveled to Chicago for their senior trip, where they volunteered at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, preparing over 4 tons of pinto beans for distribution(!!), and also met with students at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University, meditating with about 15 of them. And of course, they saved a little time for exploring downtown Chicago, exchanging pinto beans for that other bean…
Talent Show
When Mr. Griffin offered to organize a Talent Show, I had no idea how much talent would surface. What an amazing treat! From Phoenix’s superhuman beat-boxing to Apollo’s blindfolded Rubik’s Cube solves, there were some jaw-dropping acts! It all got started with Chuleia’s stop-action animation, followed by the Kindergarten’s adorable costumes and dance routine, which they’ve been preparing for the last two weeks. Georgia and Helen won the award for best group or duo for their self-choreographed dance, Ryder’s drum solo took home the prize for best individual performance, and Nate and Lila won the audience choice award for their tumbling routine full of flips and twists.
Winter Formal
Student Council organized a highly successful Winter Formal, with official pictures taken by our very own Yang. There’s a lot more where these came from:
