Headmaster's Weekly Newsletter -- Week 24

Although we are doing a great job following all the prescribed health protocols (masks, arrows, limited group sizes, etc.) the inevitable but wonderful reality of life at KES is that we are a close community. The result of all our classes, shared dining facility, daily sports, diverse clubs programme, dormitories and activities, is that we enjoy constant contact with each other. We have a vibrant and healthy and active “family” on campus.

 

The realities of the pandemic constantly intrude. While we are grateful that the province acts swiftly to ensure our collective health, and while the students and staff are showing tremendous resilience in quickly adjusting to each new challenge, there are times when we need to take stock of our emotional state. Like the background music which plays in shopping centers, it is to easy to ignore the background hum of anxiety that everyone is feeling. However, we do so at our peril.

 

This week the faculty at KES took some time to focus on how we are all feeling and coping. Being able to get together as a faculty and then to break out into smaller groups was immensely therapeutic. Everyone has their own unique challenges (elderly parents not seen in over a year, grandchildren in another country, a death in the family but no funeral, a family member who is immune-compromised…), but somehow we all ended up feeling like we are sharing the same experience. Telling stories about how we are coping, what helps and what doesn’t, felt really good. Ironically, by taking some time to share the worries we shove into the background, instead of making them heavier they became lighter.

 

It is easy to forget that we live on a knife’s edge at KES. One positive case in our KES family of students and staff and we are all subject to isolation and testing. All of us. However, because we share in this experience together, we are able to gain strength and stamina from each other.