From Hilltop to Home

We are now into the second month of school, having completed two community weekends and the “long” weekend, and it’s hard to believe we have passed the midsemester mark. We have been so fortunate to have the most spectacular fall weather I can recall, and it has been wonderful to see many parents and family members on the sidelines of games cheering on the Buccaneers. Blair athletes “won the day” for our first MAPL Saturday against the Hun School of Princeton, and we’re looking ahead to Mercersburg, Hill, Lawrenceville and then Peddie for the upcoming Saturdays.

I have a vivid memory from about five years ago when our son, Will, started kindergarten. I asked him how his first day was, and he replied, “It was fine. The most annoying-est part was that the principal kept talking to us, so we couldn’t have recess.” He was 6, so I overlooked the poor grammar/tense/word invention and focused on the implicit message in his response: In all the necessary opening-of-school communications, reminders, protocols, rules, dorm meetings, School Meetings and so on, don’t forget the fun [Dad]! Don’t cut into recess.

If it is true that construction on campus is a sign of a healthy school, I feel like Blair has passed its annual physical exam with flying colors. Has campus ever been busy this summer! I have developed immunity to the sounds of backhoes and skid steers outside my office and we have all discovered new routes and pathways to get from here to there as we safely navigate multiple ongoing  improvement projects.

We Are Young. The song, written by the musical groupFun, took center stage among the 25 performances at Blairstock yesterday afternoon. As student performers sang and the audience of 100-plus joined along, I focused on the title—compartmentalized some of the lyrics(!)—and
reflected on the beauty of this annual spring moment and the reminder that much of our work as a school is about creating, fostering, and sustaining spaces and experiences such as Blairstock in which our students can be young.

International Weekend is a favorite experience of the school year, not just because it’s deliciously tasty, but also because students share their family recipes—and, therein, a part of their culture—with us.