Ending the Year With Gratitude and Admiration
What a way to end! Prize Day was incredible. Grad celebrations were heartfelt. Enrichment and Transition to University Week was outstanding. After one of the most challenging phases of their careers—one that saw us take the unprecedented step of moving the entire Crescent experience online—our faculty came through once again with a fitting curtain call.
From designing virtual closing ceremonies to toasting our Grade 12s; from helping students learn Hebrew, to helping them hone their kitchen and short game skills, our staff created an extraordinary array of lasting memories when our boys needed them most. The energy and enthusiasm that students and staff showed for these activities are a testament to the Crescent difference.
As we wrap up the school year, I am searching to adequately describe what it has been like to be part of Crescent’s historic response to these unusual circumstances. Though I will continue to reflect on the past three months all summer, the words at the forefront of my mind today are gratitude and admiration.
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As we wrap up the school year, I am searching to adequately describe what it has been like to be part of Crescent’s historic response to these unusual circumstances. Though I will continue to reflect on the past three months all summer, the words at the forefront of my mind today are gratitude and admiration.
I am deeply grateful to have been part of this experience with you all, and I am filled with profound admiration for everyone’s effort and resilience.
Our Virtual Learning Program (VLP) accentuated so much of what makes Crescent special. Taking the school fully online so rapidly was only possible because of the creativity, passion, and culture of innovation that sets Crescent apart.
When our Leadership Team began assessing options and exploring contingencies, there was no hesitation about whether our faculty would come through as they did. From our academic leaders to teachers throughout the school, everyone seamlessly delivered on the principles of Continuity, Flexibility, and Community that guided the VLP initiative from the outset.
The success of the VLP came from leaning into the relationships that are foundational to the Crescent experience. As Enrichment Week and Transition To University Week so powerfully illustrated, there is a unique connection between our teachers and students. Through the shift from in-person classes to online sessions, we have been reminded that the bonds built here are enduring.
Those unwavering relationships offer us certainty in a time of unknowns. While we prepare for what learning will look like in September, we are not wondering if we will be able to deliver a distinctly Crescent education. We know that we can because we already have. It is reassuring to know that no matter what comes along, we are ready.
My gratitude and admiration extend to everyone in our community.
To our students, I admire the way you adapted to the new learning mode, and I am grateful for your curiosity and comradery. To our alumni, I admire the way you stepped forward to help with our response, and I am grateful for your ongoing contribution to the school. To our parents, I admire your strength in balancing your personal and professional spaces, and I am grateful for your ongoing support of Crescent. And to our faculty and staff, I admire your commitment to ensuring that our boys continued on their learning journey, and I am grateful for the opportunity to stand with you in the face of this challenge.
As we move into the reflective phase of the calendar, there is much to consider. How can we bring our boys and staff safely back to campus to start the next school year? How can we re-open so as to stay open? If needed, how can we deliver online learning that is second to none? How can we leverage our new virtual learning capabilities to enrich the conventional face-to-face learning environment? How can we continue to offer an exceptional experience for our boys?
And, layered on these considerations is the important work we all must do to eliminate racism and discrimination. I was profoundly moved by listening to our Black students, faculty, and staff in the anti-racism dialogues we held earlier this month. How can our community continue to do its part to make lasting change so that everyone feels welcome and included in the Crescent community?
It will be a different kind of summer holiday for all of you, and I hope it brings you health, rest and respite from the confines of self-isolation. I hope our graduates and their families enjoy this bonus time together before launching into university life. And I look forward to coming together with everyone returning in September for another year of innovation, creativity, and connection.
