More than just the Giant Relay Race

Today is Giant Relay Day—one of my favorite long-standing traditions at Colorado Academy! We couldn’t celebrate it last year, so we are going to make up for it in grand fashion. On Friday morning, we will begin the day with our first IN-PERSON All-School Assembly since the pandemic began. Every student and faculty member and many staff will gather on Welborn Lawn. I will give a short address to the students and read off all the Senior names, as is our tradition. This final All-School Assembly is always a powerful moment to honor our Seniors. For them, it’s a chance to show their class spirit for the younger grades. This year’s Seniors have simply been outstanding to work with in a difficult year. They have stayed positive and have excelled in the arts, academics, and athletics. They have brought joy into our lives, and, as we have been able to loosen our approaches to COVID-19, you can see their enthusiasm for their school and for each other.

After our assembly, the Lower School will have their annual Field Day with fun activities. A highlight for me will be the annual Head of School/Kindergarten race. I have been in intense training this year, as I am going to race twice—I want to give First Graders, who missed the race last year, a chance to try to beat this aging head of school! The afternoon brings the return of the Giant Relay Race. I will be there on my mountain bike for the first leg, in which I am sure to be crushed by the parents and student teams. But fear not, faculty, we will do our best!

Today is so much more than the Giant Relay Race. It’s reassurance that life at CA as we know it is returning. I am sure I’ll be talking about this day for years to come.

Town Hall on Monday
On Monday, May 24, I will be hosting a Town Hall to outline our plans for the next school year. We will have a few changes to the schedule and other details l want to share, including a new plan to build community at CA. The good news is that, right now, we are looking at a far more hopeful picture of what to expect in the fall. Many of our students and families are being vaccinated. Infection rates continue to drop in Colorado. The outlook for getting “back to normal” and full time in-person is looking bright. I am excited to share our plans and what you can look forward to, starting this August. If you have not registered for the Town Hall already, please do so here.

A special ‘thank you’

Part of the reason we are in such a great place is due to the outstanding work that Assistant Head of School Renee Rockford has done to help guide our pandemic response. She has worked tirelessly to track public health guidelines, developed a partnership with National Jewish, organized faculty and student testing on campus, and supported our students and faculty and staff. This work has involved countless hours of contact tracing, as well as advocating on the school’s behalf to public health officials. Her job at times has been thankless, and she has the difficult task of informing families about exposures and state-mandated quarantines. Having her in this critical role allowed other school leaders to focus their attention on the students and sustaining student learning. Renee’s last day is today. She was going to leave last year to pursue other opportunities. I am so grateful that she agreed to stay on to help us through the pandemic. We are all thankful for her work and leadership.

I close by saying “the countdown is on!” It’s down to one last week of classes and then our Continuations and Commencement ceremonies. With two weeks to go, let’s continue to stand up for the best of CA values and look out for one another. Go Mustangs!