News & Events
Today at Episcopal
Charley Stillwell Delivers the Year's Final Chapel Talk
On Friday, Head of School Charley Stillwell delivered the year's last chapel talk virtually, recapping both the hardships and joys of 2020. Read his words below:
Good morning. When Rev. Carmody mentioned to me recently that she wanted me to share a few thoughts for our final Chapel of the first semester, I was a little worried knowing that I would be the last thing between you and the upcoming holiday.
But as I thought about the fact that this is our last moment together as a full school community in this very unusual and difficult year of 2020, however, I did want to take this opportunity to say once again how proud I have been to watch this community step up to any number of challenges, find creative ways to keep our school moving forward, and support each other through turbulent and uncertain times.
This has been a year of struggle for so many people. Millions around the world have experienced the loss of loved ones due to the pandemic. Economic hardships caused by this virus have affected millions more. Racial injustices from our past and present have been brought to the forefront in an effort to right these long-standing wrongs.
These struggles have hit all of our daily lives as well even if not in such a dramatic fashion. It was heartbreaking to send everyone home last spring and not to be able to celebrate our Class of 2020 with the special in-person graduation they deserved. It has been hard for all of you to grapple with the safety precautions that have become a part of our daily lives on campus this year with wearing masks, eating in Flippin, trying to stay six feet apart, not being able to visit friends in other dorms, remaining virtual at home even when many of your friends are here on campus, etc.
Yet even in the midst of all these hardships, heartaches, and frustrations, there is another side of 2020 that I will also remember. For me the legacy of 2020 extends beyond the hardships and the heartbreak. This is a year that reminded us just how important family and friends can be. When this fall became especially frustrating for many of you, it was amazing to see you gather with your friends around fire pits, under tents, out on the fields, by the pond, and on the new brick patios playing music, playing games, laughing together, and enjoying old fashioned fun. The love, care, and support you shared with each other was remarkable, and I bet you will never forget these moments with your friends and classmates.
This has also been a year when creativity and resilience have shown their true worth. I have been amazed at the efforts of the faculty and staff to shift their teaching and to try new approaches to make our virtual moments and hybrid moments as effective as they could be. From our powerful Lessons and Carols Service this week with our choir, dance, and theater group recordings to our fall production with Chris and Banks on the stage with Eli and Annabelle on the screen, all of you, adults and students alike have found ways to get the job done and to bring the learning to life under all kinds of circumstances.
So now it’s time for 2021! I know we are all ready for a very different type of year. Certainly, we will begin the year with hardships and heartaches. We will continue to depend on our creativity and resilience to make the best of difficult situations. But more than anything I hope we will enter the new year with a focus on the power of love, of friendship, of family. It seems to me that leading with love and friendship can guide us through so many of our current challenges. Our care and concern for each other’s health and well being can remind us that precautions like masks are not as bad as we may think. Treating all around us as if they were close friends and family makes building true community the only path forward.
I have been so proud to see how all of you have handled 2020, and I am excited to see how you will step up to make 2021 a truly great year. I hope you all enjoy a restful holiday and a Merry Christmas ahead. God Bless The High School. See you next year!
Back
Good morning. When Rev. Carmody mentioned to me recently that she wanted me to share a few thoughts for our final Chapel of the first semester, I was a little worried knowing that I would be the last thing between you and the upcoming holiday.
But as I thought about the fact that this is our last moment together as a full school community in this very unusual and difficult year of 2020, however, I did want to take this opportunity to say once again how proud I have been to watch this community step up to any number of challenges, find creative ways to keep our school moving forward, and support each other through turbulent and uncertain times.
This has been a year of struggle for so many people. Millions around the world have experienced the loss of loved ones due to the pandemic. Economic hardships caused by this virus have affected millions more. Racial injustices from our past and present have been brought to the forefront in an effort to right these long-standing wrongs.
These struggles have hit all of our daily lives as well even if not in such a dramatic fashion. It was heartbreaking to send everyone home last spring and not to be able to celebrate our Class of 2020 with the special in-person graduation they deserved. It has been hard for all of you to grapple with the safety precautions that have become a part of our daily lives on campus this year with wearing masks, eating in Flippin, trying to stay six feet apart, not being able to visit friends in other dorms, remaining virtual at home even when many of your friends are here on campus, etc.
Yet even in the midst of all these hardships, heartaches, and frustrations, there is another side of 2020 that I will also remember. For me the legacy of 2020 extends beyond the hardships and the heartbreak. This is a year that reminded us just how important family and friends can be. When this fall became especially frustrating for many of you, it was amazing to see you gather with your friends around fire pits, under tents, out on the fields, by the pond, and on the new brick patios playing music, playing games, laughing together, and enjoying old fashioned fun. The love, care, and support you shared with each other was remarkable, and I bet you will never forget these moments with your friends and classmates.
This has also been a year when creativity and resilience have shown their true worth. I have been amazed at the efforts of the faculty and staff to shift their teaching and to try new approaches to make our virtual moments and hybrid moments as effective as they could be. From our powerful Lessons and Carols Service this week with our choir, dance, and theater group recordings to our fall production with Chris and Banks on the stage with Eli and Annabelle on the screen, all of you, adults and students alike have found ways to get the job done and to bring the learning to life under all kinds of circumstances.
So now it’s time for 2021! I know we are all ready for a very different type of year. Certainly, we will begin the year with hardships and heartaches. We will continue to depend on our creativity and resilience to make the best of difficult situations. But more than anything I hope we will enter the new year with a focus on the power of love, of friendship, of family. It seems to me that leading with love and friendship can guide us through so many of our current challenges. Our care and concern for each other’s health and well being can remind us that precautions like masks are not as bad as we may think. Treating all around us as if they were close friends and family makes building true community the only path forward.
I have been so proud to see how all of you have handled 2020, and I am excited to see how you will step up to make 2021 a truly great year. I hope you all enjoy a restful holiday and a Merry Christmas ahead. God Bless The High School. See you next year!
