Colorado Academy roared back to life this week! We kicked off a week of events with student orientations and the All-School Picnic. It was amazing to see everyone in person, greeting and visiting with one another. To give you a sense of what it took to serve more than 1,600 guests, Chef Paul ordered the following:
- 750 Burgers
- 1400 Hot Dogs
- 300 Veggie Burgers
- 1,000 bags of Chips
- 500 pounds of Watermelon
- 15 gallons of Baked Beans
…and pretty much all of it was consumed! The record participation at this event was a sign of just how much we all want to be back on campus and at school!
We also had the ribbon-cutting for the new Leach Center for the Performing Arts, the final project of our $33 million See It Through campaign. More than 800 CA community members contributed to the renovation of the Welborn House, the construction of the Ponzio Arts Center, the Athletic Center, and now our new performing arts space. It is an impressive facility, and it was just so great seeing our teachers working with students in that space during this first week of school.
Few things are more fun than watching our youngest students play on our new playgrounds. We also held a dedication for these new spaces to honor Leslie Webster, a long-time Kindergarten teacher, who influenced the lives of hundreds of CA students. Stephen, Maddie, and Carolyn Webster came back to campus for a dedication ceremony. Many thanks to the numerous families who supported this project, and to the few, anonymous families who really led the charge to make this happen. Also, thanks to Lower School Principal Angie Crabtree, for her efforts leading the design with student input, and to Ian Marzonie of Operations, who was critical in overseeing construction.
At our All-School Opening Assembly, I reminded our students of our mission: Creating curious, kind, courageous, and adventurous learners and leaders. This is our North Star. It guides our actions on campus. I reminded students of how we need to treat one another on campus. And, given the large numbers of children under 12 who are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, of our duty to protect our most vulnerable. Per our tradition, I read off the names of the Seniors as they cheered on their classmates. It was just so great to look out across the Welborn Lawn and see more than 1,000 CA students and teachers. It gave me hope for this school year.
I’ll close with two thank-you notes. One to our faculty and staff—for all of the hard work that has gone into preparing for this school year. And two, to our CA families—for your tremendous support. I know our students are excited to be back. I look forward to seeing you around campus this fall.