You are likely familiar with the adage “time is not linear.” I think our collective experiences during the pandemic bear witness to the truth of this saying. It has been far too long since things could be considered “normal.” And it has felt, on occasion, like we have been looping through a recurring timeline rather than stepping forward into a new phase.
In speaking to staff during this fall’s opening meeting, I had to map out the number of school years during which we have been dealing with the most unusual of circumstances. The 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 years were all substantially impacted. In fact, you have to go all the way back to the 2018/19 school year to find a wholly normal year! I find that timeline almost incomprehensible when I lay it out on paper. And yet the journey was real and was a significant challenge to us all—parents, staff, and especially our young people.
Thankfully, barring the arrival of some ill-timed super variant, we are largely through the strangest of times and very much looking forward to a return to normalcy. Given it has been a number of years since we have experienced a steady state of affairs, it may take everyone a little while to recall, and fit into, what was considered normal in terms of routines and practices. But we will fall into the customary ebb and flow of the school year soon enough. I must say, I am looking forward to this new normal with a great sense of delight.
The Board of Directors, the entire CDS faculty and staff and I very much look forward to welcoming you back on campus this fall as we launch the 50th anniversary celebration year of CDS and get to experience that much sought-after feeling of community and connectedness that we have all missed.
See you back at school soon everyone!