April 2, 2020

I’ve been working through my stack of bedside reading, and am currently in the middle of two books: Kristin Lavransdatter by Nobel Prize winning author Sigrid Undset and Erik Larson’s new book The Splendid and the Vile. They are an unlikely pairing, one about a woman in 14th century Scandinavia and the other about Churchill’s leadership during his early years as Prime Minister as England faced the inevitable German invasion. Both characters grow through hardship and crisis not of their making, and both seek to find personal strength from their families, faith, and routines.

Reading these novels in quiet moments–mostly when the house is not buzzing with 20-something energies, and when the dogs have settled into their spots–offers a chance to reflect on the personal, familial, and professional challenges of leadership. Being engrossed in the lives of these two characters as they face adversity offers a reminder of the importance of courage and optimism. Until now I think I have under appreciated moments of courage in our community. These include students’ embracing the new challenges of learning remotely, teachers’ adapting their expertise to totally new ways of delivering material, staff members’ making our campus safe, serving families in need, and perhaps most importantly, connecting with parents and guardians who are dealing with real challenges as they navigate uncharted waters with families and loved ones. Thanks to all of you so very much for what you have brought to our community in this time of uncertainty.

As we close our second week of remote learning there is so much to celebrate, and I am excited to see elements of our school community continue to develop. Tomorrow we will post a Virtual Community Meeting on our Instagram story, and while I’m a novice on many social media platforms, I’m excited to know that our students and faculty will have a new way to keep some of our traditions alive.

This newsletter contains updates about virtual learning, food delivery, and more news. Parent and student feedback in recent weeks has helped us improve our communication and offerings to students. Please continue to keep in touch. I know I miss seeing all of you in person each day, but we will do our best to keep the spirit of the LA community alive and well in these challenging times.

Jeffrey S. Burroughs
Head of School