Headmaster's Weekly Newsletter – Week 20

The meaning of the word drone at KES varies. In biology class, a drone is a type of honeybee who is functionally useless. It cannot protect the hive because it doesn’t have a stinger. It doesn’t collect pollen or nectar to feed the hive. In fact, it cannot even feed itself without help from a worker bee. As a teenage boy studying biology way back when, I remember learning that the drone bee’s only function in life is to mate with the Queen bee. (Some things stick in the teenage brain.)

“Drone” can be both a verb and a noun. Hopefully none of our teachers are so boring that their voices drone on, putting their classes to sleep. However, hopefully our KES bagpipers have both their tenor and bass drones firmly in place so the pipes can produce their unique timbre and quality of sound.

In the last week KES has acquired a drone. (Not the particularly menacing weapon of air forces worldwide, which operate remotely and have mind-boggling surveillance and attack abilities.) This drone is a flying camera which can be controlled as far as 18.5 kms away and 5 kms high in the air! The legal limit is 400 feet, but still…I imagine the School would look pretty small from way up there!

So where am I going with all this?

Mother Nature has given us a winter playground. This week has been a magical one for getting outside and having fun. The joy of snowshoeing through the woods with students, especially our youngest ones, cannot be overestimated. The snow was fluffy and at times there were more students lying on the snow (on purpose or otherwise) than standing on top of it. Nothing beats the laughter and energy of outdoor play. Identifying rabbit, fox, squirrel, and deer tracks was an added bonus for all of us. 

Twice this week I have been able to play rugby in the snow with our students. (This is where the drone comes in…) We had a large group of girls and boys playing during the day on Thursday, but on Wednesday night at 9:00 pm, we had a small but rugged crew come out to play some touch rugby under the lights. Our “dronographer” Daniel Kimbley took some photos (see below). They are spectacular.

I am excited to see what else the drone will capture in the months and years ahead.

Sincerely,

Joe Seagram