Center School is Still Your School
Dear Center School Families,
This morning, Amanda, Meaghan, and I spent time in classrooms from first through eighth grade, sitting in the circle at Morning Meeting and talking with students about the news that Center School will close at the end of this school year. I want to tell you a little about what that was like, because it is part of how I am carrying all of this.
I'll say it plainly: I am very sad. I know many of you are too, and I don't think any of us needs to pretend otherwise. This school has been a home to so many people for so long, and it is right to grieve for the loss of it.
The students met us with such openness. They asked thoughtful and honest questions. Some we were able to answer, and some we couldn't, at least not yet. It isn't easy to tell a room full of children "I don't know yet," but they received it with so much grace. Their questions reminded me of what this place has always taught us: that it is possible to be honest about hard things and still be gentle and kind with one another.
What we told every student this morning is what I want to tell you, too: Center School is still your school. This year is not one long goodbye. It is a whole year of mornings together, with our teachers and friends, our traditions, and all the things we were already looking forward to. Trunk or Treat and the Spooky Sprint are just around the corner, and Field Day, Mountain Day, AP Night, and Uppers Graduation are waiting for us, all the way to our last day on June 10th.
In addition to those beloved traditions, we will also create new moments for all of us to come together and celebrate this school and the community that has made it what it is. There will be time to remember, to laugh, to tell our favorite stories, and to say thank you to one another. We believe there can be real joy alongside the grief, and that the two don't have to be separated. More details will follow in the coming months, and we hope you will help us shape them.
I am so grateful to this community. The care you have shown one another in these last few days, and your willingness to hold this school steady for our children, is the reason this year can be what it should be. We have been given the chance to bring this place to a close with joy, grace, dignity, and love, and I can't imagine a community better suited to do it.
If you'd like to talk, Amanda, Meaghan, and I are here, and our office hours are open to you and your children. We will also gather as a community at All School Welcome on October 14th and at the virtual Town Hall on November 10th.
In community,
Lauren Obregón, Interim Co-Head of School
