At Belmont Day, two celebratory assemblies kick off each new calendar year–the MLK Assembly and the Lunar New Year celebration. These joyful and dynamic assemblies included guest speaker Matt Ferrer of Pine Street Inn, our faculty of color reciting Amanda Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb,” and a Lion Dance performance by both our pre-kindergartners and the Calvin Chin Martial Arts Academy dancers. We honored the legacy of Dr. King with respect and service and welcomed the Year of the Rabbit with an abundance of joy and wonder.
The 2023 MLK Assembly was the first time we had gathered to honor Dr. King’s legacy since the winter of 2020, just two short months before COVID shut things down. Since then, gathering as a community has become more complicated and concerning than we could ever imagine. Even as we gradually moved from 6 feet to 3 feet distance between us, from shielded desks to open spaces, from grade-level classrooms in the Barn to everyone’s return to the Schoolhouse, the question of when and whether we could gather as a community remained.
There is evidence that the question still hangs in the air, at least for some. The number of families present for these recent assemblies hardly rivaled pre-pandemic attendance. Last week, fewer than 15 people engaged in a thoughtful and robust community discussion about spirituality and belief systems hosted by our equity, inclusion, and belonging office.
Then Friday Night Hoops happened.
This past Friday night, the Barn was, in a word, rocking. We welcomed our friendly rival, The Meadowbrook School, for the winter leg of our athletics showcases—this time, boys’ and girls’ basketball games—the gym was at SRO (standing room only) capacity. The games were joyful and competitive and ushered in a welcome return to what community looks like at BDS when students, faculty, and parents gather for an event.
The home-school partnership at Belmont Day is pivotal, and we are eager to reinforce it. In a phrase, there’s a difference between being welcome and being invited, so please consider this your invitation to return and attend Sharing Assemblies, Capstone, home games, and any other community event that strikes your interest. Community matters at Belmont Day, and you are an essential part of it.
I look forward to seeing you on campus soon. Have a joyful and restful February break!
