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Unsung Heroes

There is nothing like a blizzard to remind you of the unsung heroes at your school. While I am sure many of our parents did pause to think that moving all that snow on campus was going to be a challenge, there is always so much behind the scenes that people don’t know. For example, we found our meager staff of five cut down to three during the blizzard on account of illness this week. The trio of Richie Knowles, Paul Calo, and David Hamilton were nothing short of a force on this campus Tuesday and Wednesday. I have to imagine that while they were plowing all day long on Tuesday, they felt like a modern day version of Sisyphus and his stone. Every time they made a run with the plow, the snow would be blown back in. It was impossible to keep up, and yet they had to keep going so the campus could be accessible to emergency services if needed.



When the storm cleared on Wednesday, the real work began. It takes a storm like this to appreciate fully every nook and cranny on the campus that has to be cared for in the winter. While everyone else in the community enjoyed two days off to watch the blizzard do its rather marvelous thing, these three were out in the teeth of it, leaning in physically and mentally. When the sun came out o Wednesday morning and we then enjoyed a day of snow shoeing or sledding, these three were once again scraping and throwing sand. And they were back here at 5:00 AM on Thursday morning to deal with anything that blew in or froze overnight.


If you get a chance this week, give a thank you to Richie, Paul, and David. My home office enjoys a window perched below the Fogg parking lot, so I was able to see the plows whizzing through the blizzard for two days straight. While I worked on my computer in my warm headmasterly office, the trucks just kept moving through the darkness. My wife made them a great pot of chili during the blizzard to say thanks, but it was small consolation. Not surprisingly, they didn’t stay long. Most importantly, there wasn’t a second of grumbling. The conversation was all about strategies to make sure the kids could have a safe return and that school could be up and running quickly. It takes many unsung heroes to run a place like Berwick Academy – it’s my pleasure to bring these three out into the spotlight this week.

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