There is still a fair amount of snow lingering on campus and the distinct possibility of more to come before we will feel like spring has really taken hold. Yet, the school calendar tells us that we are just eight days away from getting spring afternoon programs launched in the middle of next week. Hard to believe! In the meantime, however, there is still a lot to do before the winter season wraps up. Here is some of what comes to mind as I take a look back and a look ahead:

I know that I speak for at least the many New England Patriots fans among us in saying that the past couple of weeks have been a lot of fun. I was at a heads of school conference at Duke University within one week of the incredible Patriots victory, and spent some time with heads of Atlanta-area schools. They were not feeling all that celebratory in the aftermath of such a devastating defeat, and I am a little bit ashamed about taking some pleasure in that. Nevertheless, it was fun to use the Patriots, my birthday, and the weather to announce a day off last week -- never an unpopular decision amongst your sons and daughters. In sum, the spirit on campus has been great through this sometimes challenging winter stretch. We are managing to find a lot to enjoy and celebrate together.

I know that a number of you were able to make one or more of the "Cabaret" performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the past week. If you did attend, I suspect you left thoroughly impressed with the entire company's performance, and the manner in which the group handled such charged and difficult subject matter. I had a number of conversations with alums and friends who were seeing this group for the first time. To a person, they were amazed at the talent, the performances, the choreography, and the work of everyone involved in pulling the show together. It would be hard to imagine a more fitting final theater production in the Auditorium. Congratulations to all of them.

As this letter makes its way to you, we will be just 97 days away from Prize Day on May 29, 2017. This means that the 100-Day Lunch for the Class of 2017 has already come and gone. While a low-key affair, I sat with a few members of the class who could not believe that graduation is approaching so rapidly. We have begun distributing details about graduation weekend to those of you who have daughters or sons in the Class of 2017, and please do let us know if we can help with any questions. These 97 days will move quickly and gain speed as we go!

We are now into our final regular-season week of the winter athletic season and are hoping that a few teams will be playing in New England tournament games next week. We will have more details on this front once the regular season wraps up on Saturday. It is also important to note the impressive team experiences our students have had at first-, second-, and third-team levels this winter. While there have been far more wins than losses in the aggregate, I am thinking primarily about the ways in which our teams compete, represent the school, and work hard with and for one another.  

Moreover, our teams have given of themselves in different ways to raise money for worthy causes, and to do what they can to serve and support those who can use our help. The boys basketball team has hosted local Special Olympians competing in our athletic center a couple of times this month, and this is just one of the most recent examples. In sum, the winning is always nice, but the manner in which we compete and carry ourselves matters much more to me. We have had a superior winter in this regard.

Our dress code trial period is now underway, and we will see how things go with some modified approaches to student and faculty dress this week and next. As I noted in my last letter, we have not made any commitment to making changes to the current dress code, but are interested in trying to explore approaches that might contribute to greater community engagement across the board. The standards for professional dress in different lines of work are expanding steadily, and many of our peer schools have moved away from ties, in particular, in recent years. So, we will monitor how things go during the trial period, ask for community feedback, and contemplate next steps once we are all back from spring vacation in April.

I will be traveling to the Palm Beach, Florida, area in the early part of next week in order to attend a reception for alumni, alumnae, parents, and friends of the school on Tuesday, February 28. I will then head to Baltimore in the middle of next week in order to attend the National Association of Independent Schools annual conference beginning on Wednesday, March 1. The theme of the conference is Make Your Mission Matter: From Vision to Values. It is the largest conference of its kind for independent schools each year. I am looking forward to hearing from a terrific group of speakers, attending some interesting workshops, and returning to campus with a lot of food for thought in mind.

Unfortunately, I will be away all of next week and not able to attend the opening of Colorscapes by Mike "Congo" Congleton in the Robert Lehman Art Center on Thursday, March 2, at 7 p.m. If you are not able to make the opening, I do hope a chance to visit and see Mr. Congleton's work will materialize for you before the exhibit closes on Friday, April 7.

Finally, I am looking forward to sharing some slides and images of the arts center and center campus project we will begin working on this summer with your sons and daughters in Chapel before we depart for spring vacation. We will also be able to take a look at some overview images of the student center renovation and expansion that we will be starting at the end of the year, as well. While the former will take us through next year to complete, the latter will be done by the time we return to school in the fall. In both cases, there is a lot to be excited about, and sharing that excitement will be fun.

I will be in touch again around the time when spring vacation arrives. Until then, we will hope for more mild weather, no snow, and a nice early spring!