News & Weekly Letters

It dawned on me on Tuesday—right in the middle of my back-to-school speech to the middle schoolers—that this year is my 10th school year as a head. It might seem like a lot; you’d imagine I would have tired of it by now, but I have the perfect antidote: I work at The École where inertia is impossible—the rhythm of the school year is too frantic to allow for it!

The first day of school is fast approaching and we can’t wait to see the kids next week. We took full advantage of the summer break to do some large-scale reconstruction work and have created five new classroom spaces—four in the Elementary & Middle School Building and one in Maternelle. We needed new spaces to accommodate our growing student body—we are very proud to be welcoming 319 kids to school on Tuesday.

There’s a distinctive flavor to the last days of school. We are excited and sad, exhausted and full of energy, liberated and anxious all at once. It’s a bit like when we pack our suitcases before leaving for vacation—we can already picture ourselves reclining under palm trees but we can’t shake the feeling that we have forgotten something.

Last night, we celebrated the imminent end of this school year between colleagues. The staff party was the crowning moment in a particularly joyful week that saw our talented students take center stage once again. It was also an opportunity for The École team 2021-2022 team to get together one last time. The 2022-2023 version will look pretty different in September; several colleagues are leaving us for new adventures and challenges elsewhere. I am certain they will be dearly missed by colleagues, students, and families. I’ve gone through similar moments several times in my career and I know how difficult it can be on a personal and professional level to make the decision to leave.

I am writing to you earlier than usual this week as once again we find ourselves facing our worst nightmare. 21 dead in an elementary school. 19 10-year-olds,—all in 4th grade—and 2 adults. We will be asked to discuss the tragedy with our students. We will answer that call. We will try to explain the unexplainable and we will try to make sense of the senseless. With all the strength we have left, we will comfort and reassure. We will—it is our job—draw lessons. What are they?