Community

By Dr. Terry Macaluso, Head of School

What we’re learning about ourselves and each other as we adapt to new life realities is profound.  Every situation is different.  Every experience is personal.  Every intention is admirable.  We all want to do whatever we can to help other people manage what can sometimes feel like a kind of endless distraction.

For some of us, the two weeks of Spring Break are a welcome opportunity to read a book or 10.  For others, those 14 days are a frightening challenge.  Whatever your circumstance might be, please remember that there is room for everyone in our community.  Sometimes just remembering that you are supported and fondly regarded is enough to get through…anything.

As we approach our 4th week of EPSRemote, I’m thinking about the many challenges each of us faces.  I’m thinking about how those challenges shift as the reality outside our control shifts.  I’m reminded of books like Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and Camus’ The Plague.  Both are dramatic portrayals of what is possible when one realizes that there are myriad dynamics outside one’s own control—that the only choice we have is to make our own choices.  We choose our attitudes about whatever reality exists.

Regardless of the facts that define your current reality, please know that you are a member of community that is not going away.  We are all still here—and we will be when external conditions no longer require us to live remotely.  All the same support, acceptance, gratitude and fondness that characterizes our community under ordinary circumstances still define our essence.

All we have to do is treat one another just as we would if we were on campus rushing from class to class, or running to catch a bus, or trying to beat the crowd to the lunch line.  Whatever it takes, and however long it takes, we will find ourselves—again—in one another’s presence—perhaps more grateful than ever for the community we have built.

Please plan to read the whole Briefing.  You’ll find some interesting ideas at the end of the document that will help you think productively and creatively about the time you have to look forward to!

-Taken from the March 23, 2020 Community Briefing