FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Hammond Families, As I reflect on this year, I find it hard not to include the past three years as a period unto itself when we have experienced many firsts. It was the 2019-2020 school year when we encountered new challenges and opportunities to push Hammond’s resilience and strength. As usual, those tests were met with the fierce yet compassionate might of our great community, a community which I am humbled to serve and steward into the future. Very quickly upon arriving at Hammond in 2019, I was met with a phrase I’ve since heard over and over again… “this has never happened here before”. While the amusement of hearing it still brings a smile to my face, the idea of so many new hurdles was a bit daunting. However, it’s in the time of reflection and review when we can see most clearly. And in this time, I have found those firsts for Hammond to be some of our greatest treasures; they are the mirrors in which we see our true selves: a caring, committed, and united community. We welcomed ESPN and a nation of viewers to Hammond for the first time to watch our football team begin its 2019 season. While this first did not produce the result we wanted initially, it yielded a stronger, dedicated team that captured a State Championship once again. Later that year we faced a pandemic which altered lives worldwide. Hammond had to pivot, using new methods of teaching and learning for the first time. Our response was swift, effective, and unified as we adapted to a new, temporary normal. And, while the country’s opinions varied, we were thankful for the community support as we successfully navigated a significant first together, as Hammond. As we look back on this past year, we were met once again with yet another first that would test our school. The fire in the lower school did much to put us briefly on our heels. While our worst fears were abated, as no one was harmed, we were still faced with an immense challenge, requiring the strength of our great community once again. In true Hammond fashion, our teachers and staff showed resilience and grace, welcoming lower school students back on campus after only one day. We were flooded with an outpouring of support in the forms of service, gifts, and love from the Hammond community, which helped nourish our spirits and inspire our recovery. Now, as the reconstruction of the lower school building and the restoration of our people’s energy continue, we look back with gratitude for the community which sustained us through another first. As I conclude my first year as Head of School, embracing the firsts that have come before and those that lie in the future, there will be times when “this has never happened here before” will be uttered again, or it will be our duty to inspire a new first ourselves. Hammond is prepared to meet those new adventures with a foundation rooted in strong tradition, a culture of looking ahead, and most importantly, a community like no other, united in mission and support for one another. Sincerely,
Andrew M. North Head of School
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