Burns' 2021 Opening Day Letter

1 September 2021

 

 

Dear Cathedral School Parents:

 

Educational buzzwords are a dime a dozen these days, and I often find myself muttering rather cynically under my breath at the frequency with which those words are bandied about. Effective today, however, I will no longer lampoon about the word “resilience.”

 

Amid the myriad complexities that made this morning’s drop off most interesting (and most frenetic) — furniture delivery, moving trucks, dumpsters, and port-a-potties, just to name a few — our staff, our parents, and our boys handled themselves with the utmost patience, grace, and, yes, resilience.

 

Perhaps even more remarkable than our collective resiliency, though, was the boys’ sense of purpose. (Is there another hackneyed buzzword for this attribute?) To a student, they arrived with a level of focus and determination that would make any parent proud. Although I have been at this work for a long time, I continue to be amazed at how quickly the boys return to the routines of school life. By about 9 o'clock this morning, the opening day frenzy had settled into a rather peaceful tranquility that is unique to opening day.

 

There is a great deal that can and will be said about this academic year. (Be on the lookout, in fact, for a letter from me soon about our plans and priorities.) Amid all that we can claim and all that we plan, though, it is important to remember that it is all about the boys.

 

I have such excitement for this year and all that we will accomplish together. Thank you for your partnership, your dedication, your resilience, and, always, your sons.

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

Headmaster