Head of School

Message from the Head of School

Jonathan Levy, Ph.D., Head of School

Arriving at school one morning in October, I encountered something I hadn’t experienced in nearly twenty months. It was another sign that TanenbaumCHAT was springing back to life in person: for the first time since before the pandemic began, dozens of students walked through the main doors with me. They were arriving for a sports team tryout and were clearly completely undeterred by the really early start time! While they made their way to the gym, I found my way to another TanenbaumCHAT earlymorning staple: morning minyan, which has run daily since the first day of school this year. Some 30 students and several staff – of which I am one – are regular attendees. We’ve relocated to the Hennick Family Atrium where we can spread out more than in the closer quarters of the Mercaz. I take great pride in seeing the commitment of our students in making the minyan happen every day. It’s not just early mornings that are busy, of course. The school is buzzing with energy throughout the day, not least because close to 60 classrooms are occupied by teachers and students at any given time. The focus has been on the balance required to get back to the extra-curricular essentials that we missed while we were at home, at the same time ensuring that activities can be managed in a COVID-safe way. Some compromises have been inevitable. Zoom assemblies allow us to avoid large gatherings in the gym; outdoor events – whenever the climate allows! – are also a great way to go. Thanks to our athletic council, intramural sports are alive again. This past fall, one could regularly look out at the field and see up to five flag football games going on simultaneously; and afterschool athletics have included field hockey practice and cross-country running. With lots of outdoor space, some of our regular and much-loved school spirit events, such as Club and Committee Fair, Cerealicious and Think Pink Day to name just a few, made a comeback. While parents may still be watching on Zoom, our musicians are performing in person, together. Our choir gave its first, live musical performance in months at an outdoor donor appreciation event and our student orchestra is preparing for various concerts. The fact is, this year is very different from last – and in a good way. As we continue to nudge incrementally back towards “normal”, I’ll continue to enjoy my regular daily highlight – walking through the hallways and seeing TanenbaumCHAT hard at work and hard at play! ◆