Inside King's-Edgehill School
Dear KES Family:
Monica Schafer, our Director of Student Life and Wellness, stopped me on the way out of Thursday’s Cultural Fair Show. Like me, she was glowing from the hour and a half student performances we had just witnessed. “I was looking at all our junior students, our youngest ones, and wondering what they were thinking?” she exclaimed. “It was all just so different and so great! One could not watch that show and not be in awe.”
Shortly thereafter as I was walking down the Junior School corridor, young David Helyer (Class of 2022) stopped me and commented on the afternoon’s exhibition and show. It was clear that he was still trying to process all he had felt and seen in the theatre. Looking me in the eye he exclaimed, “That was interesting wasn’t it?”
He was right. All of it was.
How wonderful he was interested in all that he saw. It is not every day one sees interpretive dance to a poem read in a foreign language, or Karaoke to a stylized video of a young Chinese hero who has been rejected by his gods. Whether it was the African dance numbers, the Spanish pop songs, or the ninjutsu board-breaking demonstration, every single performance was greeted with enthusiasm and support by the entire School audience. For a glorious afternoon, all of us were proudly and happily immersed in culture. Not just global culture but the culture of artistic expression as well. I wish I could put properly into words the feeling of community we were sharing. Perhaps this feeling has been building beautifully since Twin Day on Monday and the subsequent Winter Carnival, and the Valentine’s Dinner and Dance, etc. Yesterday that feeling of togetherness and belonging reached a kind of crescendo.
Spirit Week is meant to alleviate some of the mid-winter blues that February can create. It is a fun and light-hearted week of dress-up days and special events. What I saw this week was actually a revelation – a glimpse into our true School spirit and culture. I love what I saw.
Sincerely,
Joe Seagram
