New Student Orientation Day came at last this past Monday. For many students it was their first time back at Colorado Academy in quite awhile; others had been on campus for two weeks or more for pre-season sports. In addition to meeting their advisors and spending time with their new advisories, all 9th grade students met with their Community Leadership Team (CLT) seniors. In the afternoon they participated in several different activities, designed to help them get to know each other better and to introduce them to the six character & culture concepts that we are empahsizing this year: kindness, courage, responsibility, inclusivity, grit, and gratitude.  Students seemed to have a great time and certainly got more comfortable with their peers, their teachers and their Upper School surroundings. Many thanks to 9th grade dean Meg Hill for planning an innovative and culture-strengthening program.

The aforementioned character traits will also be underscored in our Upper School Town Halls this year.  At the first one Thursday, student leaders Ethan Miller and Tyler Kelly read messages from the new Gratitude Box in the Upper School.  They also introduced a fun new concept: all students will be placed into four different mixed grade groups.  These groups will vie against each other in competitions ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous.  Pie eating, trivia contests, kickball and four square will be interspersed with competitions over which team can raise the most for a charity of their choice.  The four groups will take the names of our four most recent heads of school: Froelicher, Wallace, Babbs and Davis.  The winner of this year-long competition will receive a prize, not to mention wrap themselves in glory. All of this will promote school spirit and community.

Our annual opening day tradition of seniors greeting 9th graders at the doors of the Upper School also promoted school spirit, as it always does.  This year's Olympic theme leant itself to all sorts of costumes, from ancient Greek attire to athletes from sports as diverse as badminton and curling.  Seniors greeted their freshman buddies with well wishes, gag gifts and brand new student-designed t-shirts.

I have been very impressed with the energy and enthusiasm of our new teachers, all of whom have plunged right into the school community. Whether teaching, advising or supporting students at athletic events, the new faculty are quickly establishing themselves in our dynamic school community. Elliot Chase (math), Daniel Lopez (Spanish), Amy Myles (French), Maeve O'Hara (math), Sara Purviance (college counseling), Miten Patel (history), Emily Perez (10th grade dean, English), Jennifer Suarez (Spanish) and Cyd Tully (college counseling administrative assistant) have all added their warmth and personality to our community.  In addition, two new faces have been spending much of their time in the Upper school, as their schoolwide administrative roles serve the entire community: Director of Inclusivity Adrian Green and Director of Technology Jared Katzman.

In all, it's been quite a week at CA.  When I mentioned this to a veteran teacher, her reply was "It's ALWAYS quite a week at CA."  So true.