“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”

Gustav Mahler

We have a tradition in our home: on the last day of school, the kids can have anything they want for breakfast. Because of this tradition, I owe apologies to our kids’ teachers through the years. There have been many last days of school when our kids have arrived for the emotional and exciting day pumped full of ice cream and other such foods. Today, our kids had chocolate milkshakes and waffles. 

Traditions can be a lot of fun, and they can help ease the stress of transitions (see my June 4 Weekly Howl blurb for more about transitions). Over the past year, many of the traditional events at AAS have been missed. However, this spring has been full of traditional events and new events to mark the end of the year. Last week we had the HS Benefit Gig, which was exceptional and set a very high bar for future Gigs. This week alone, we have had the 5th and 8th grade Moving Up ceremonies, the Awards and Recognition Assemblies, the Farewell Assemblies, and more. 

This morning, the MS put on a new event that I hope becomes tradition. The students put on a Charity Fair. In their advisory class, MS students chose a charity to support and did either activities or sold items to support their charities. It was a lot of fun, quite noisy and wet (water balloons and dunk tank), and it raised money for worthy causes. 

These traditions got me thinking about how much I am looking forward to the PTO Back to School Barbecue this coming August as well as the many other traditions we are planning to bring back next year. It also got me thinking about the fact that there are things we have done differently during the pandemic that might be worth continuing in the future. I have some ideas about these, but I would also like to hear from you. So, I am linking the Final Survey of the 2020-2021 School Year in hopes of getting your feedback. It is a simple survey with only two questions. Please take a moment to share your thoughts about what you look forward to returning to “normal” and what you would like to see become “normal” going forward. 

As we head into summer, I want to thank you all for the support of the staff, families, students, and each other over the past year. AAS is a special place, and it is you–students, families, and staff–that make it so. 

I also want to wish you the best for a relaxing, thrilling, and fun summer. Whether you plan to spend your summer at home, visiting places in Bulgaria, traveling to Greece (bring lots of patience for the border), or adventuring anywhere hither and yon, I hope it is the perfect summer.

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, 
the birds are singing, and the lawnmower is broken.”
-James Dent

Sincerely,

Dr. Fries