Mike Davis, Ph.D.
Head of School

Colorado Academy's opening day for 2017-2018 was filled with a lot of excitement and with a lot of compassion as we continued to see the news images coming out of Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Having lived in Austin, Texas for 12 years, I have been seeing updates from former students and close friends who live along the Texas coast.  

 

We will continue to monitor the situation to see how we can best help those in need and how we can support families, faculty, and staff who may have relatives in south Texas and Louisiana. Sadly, what we know right now is that the need for help is sure to remain for a very long time.  

 

It has been comforting to see photographs and videos of fellow Americans giving aid and support to others in their time of need. As I welcomed students back to Colorado Academy for the new school year, I reminded them of what a caring and nurturing community they are in. Know that we will use this catastrophic event to help students learn compassion, to appreciate their abundance, and to show generosity. It is a good opportunity for all of us to put into perspective “REAL” problems.  In our hurried, anxious age, we tend to create problems and issues that I would call “first world” issues.  Natural disasters and horrible tragedies happen to people around the world every day. What is happening to the people of Texas is on an epic scale. But we know that every person has the potential to face loss or intensely emotional experiences that can affect their well-being. Let’s be on the lookout for people in need of help and care for one another this year.

 

Also, be aware that children react to news of devastation in a variety of ways, and images on television may trigger reactions to past events. We have included here information for talking to children about natural disasters. As always, children do best when they are focused on their activities and settled into a routine. For that and many other reasons, we are grateful to have our students back on campus.