FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Springing Forward
A
FTER A QUIET MID-WINTER SEASON
during which students were learning from home as well as enjoying some welldeserved time off, it was a delight when they returned to campus in mid-February. With the vernal equinox came a wave of warm weather, and students rushed outside to enjoy the sunshine and warm air. As I write today, however, the daffodils are bowing their heads under a thin coating of snow. Despite the fickle nature of spring, excitement was very much in evidence on March 23 when we celebrated the first Head of School Holiday of 2021. The holiday was held in honor and loving memory of former trustee and dear friend of the School Philip Pillsbury Jr. ’53, who sadly passed away on March 3. As I said in announcing the holiday, Phil loved Hotchkiss, and Hotchkiss loved him. (Please see p.65) In-person classes and co-curricular activities are in full swing — well, full swing under pandemic conditions. In the weeks ahead, we look forward to varsity2
M AGA ZINE
level scrimmages with a small number of schools that have committed to the same safety measures we are following. While we remain vigilant in following the nowfamiliar practices, particularly masking, it has been uplifting to see students back on the fields, courts, golf course, and the lake. Meanwhile, it has been a little over a year since the pandemic began. Across the country and around the world, more and more people are being vaccinated, and I am beginning to feel a greater sense of optimism. At last we may be seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. As you know, I looked back at the School’s history as a guide to inform our response to the pandemic. In doing so, I spent time contemplating Hotchkiss’s legacy. I have considered characteristics that make this School what it is: an enduring commitment to academic excellence, a love of fair competition, and a mission centered around inspiring a diverse range of students who are committed to the betterment of self and society. These are
students who will one day inherit — and lead — our world. During these long months of spreading contagion, in the United States we have witnessed the spread of contagion of a different kind: acts of racism perpetrated against people of color. Last summer, names that became known to us all were those of Black Americans killed in acts of racial violence. COVID-19 has also unleashed violent racist scapegoating targeting Asians and Asian-Americans. In response, the Hotchkiss community has drawn together in opposition to racism and racist violence. Hotchkiss is first and foremost a learning community. In order to learn well, each member of the community must feel safe, seen, and supported. This diverse, pluralistic school comprises the strength, wisdom, grit, curiosity, and joy of every individual member. In an especially heartening recent moment, students from the Black and Hispanic Student Alliance (BaHSA) joined those from Triple A, the Pan Asian affinity group, for a discussion on allyship and building a shared alliance of support. The integrity and goodness of the community can be gauged by these times of solidarity. As a learning community, we are committed to excellence. Excellence is not a static destination to be reached. Rather, it is a quest to which we are committed across all that we do. Every ten years the School is re-accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC); the last time was in 2016. We have recently undergone an interim fiveyear review, and I’m pleased to share a line from the report written by Jay S. Stroud, Commissioner of Independent Schools for NEASC: “The Commission commends the Hotchkiss faculty and Board and particularly the School’s leadership for significant progress and for a constant and unrelenting commitment to strengthening an already remarkable School.” These words are gratifying. Yet our
