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The first day

Generally I take pride in being the first person to work in the morning. It has both practical and symbolic meaning for me: while I believe in modeling a strong work ethic to the community, it is also true that I generally get the most done between 6:45 and 7:45 each morning. On the first day of school, I take particular pride in being a visible presence. I like to be the first face our parents see as they return from summer, and I love touching base with the kids and seeing how many smiles I might get on their first morning on campus. Sadly, I must confess that I failed this year. As I wandered out onto the quad on Tuesday morning, I heard music pumping over the quad and horns honking from the Fogg parking lot. From the  BD porch, I couldn't quite make out what was going on, but I figured it would be a good idea to check it out. As I passed Whipple, another happy summer pop tune wafted towards me, and I simply had to smile. There is just some music that has that effect on us, making it impossible for one's mood to do anything but soar. When I finally made it to Fogg, it was clear what was going on: the class of 2017 had arrived. Without any direction or warning, members of our senior class organized to make the first day of school something positive - before people even got out of their cars. I walked into a scene of smiling faces and posters imploring people to "Honk if you loved Berwick." Each friendly toot on the way up the hill received a hearty cheer from the group. I checked my watch to see what time it was, and the seniors were already on the move, beating me across the quad to welcome the buses on their first day.

As the greeting party lined the Middle School entrance, students coming off the bus couldn't help but smile. As the cheering escalated, our returning students couldn't help but run a gauntlet of high fives and good cheer. I must admit that about half of the new students thought it was pretty cool and perhaps the other half was terrified. Middle School is an awkward time, as we all know. But the seniors are beyond that, and they clearly did not care if people found them hokey in any way. School had begun and they were excited. More importantly, they decided to share their love of this place by setting a tone with an idea that had not been done before and certainly no adults had suggested. As I am asked to don the academic garb for the first time this year for our Upper School Convocation today, I am feeling more at home than ever in my tenth year. Perhaps more importantly, I have a sense that our community is in good hands, and those hands are certainly not my own.


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