Below are my words to our community at our Carol Service on December 19.
Good evening and welcome to our St. Clement’s Carol Service, a time in which we gather to celebrate the Christmas Story, to sing, to wish everyone in our community regardless of their faith the very best for the holiday, and to be together as a community: students, staff, Alumnae, parents, past-parents, friends, and family.
This is a time of year when the hustle and bustle of the season can be a distraction from what is, in my mind, really important.
This week, a holiday bucket list was brought to my attention. The list was edited as follows:
From buy presents to be present
From wrap gifts to wrap someone in a hug
From send gifts to send love
From bake cookies to make memories (though, full disclosure, I think both are great ideas!) and;
From see the lights to be the light.
As we gather this evening, I ask that we take time to reflect upon, consider, and appreciate how fortunate we are. As members of an outstanding community linked by an excellent education, we are, indeed, privileged. We are also afforded an opportunity to use this education to contribute to our broader community.
I wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to create sixty-five hampers for our friends at Wandering Spirit School.
We are so pleased that our Junior School and members of our Grade 8 classes entertained seniors at St. Clement’s Church last week, and our Junior School visited seniors at Britton House this week.
I also wish to remember two of our community members, Sydney and Elizabeth, who will be returning tomorrow evening after over two weeks on a Round Square International Service Project where they have been renovating the extremely dilapidated staff accommodations of the Tambunan Orphanage in Borneo.
On behalf of our staff and our students, I wish you all the very best for a happy and healthy holiday and a wonderful New Year.
