September 2015
Dear Friends, One of the pleasures of summer is finding time to read. While I work throughout the months of June, July, and August, the pace is different from that of the school year. I am able to accomplish some tasks remotely and carve out moments for rejuvenation. Escaping into a variety of books is indeed a treat, and this summer’s list was most diverse in genre. I began with Lisa Miller’s research on adolescent brain development and the receptivity to faith in The Spiritual Child, then devoured fiction including two beach novels by Elin Hilderbrand, Euphoria by Lily King, and Harper Lee’s much anticipated Go Set a Watchman. Recently, I finished Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Kondo’s guide of how-to-de-clutter-your-life has gained great acclaim. Devotees of her counsel swear by the transformative impact of her guidance. Kondo attributes this to the notion that “when you put your house in order, you put your affairs and past in order, too. As a result, you can see quite clearly what you need in life, and what you don’t, and what you should and shouldn’t do.” While Kondo writes in reference to one’s home, her words can also be successfully applied to the places and organizations in which we work. I often thought of Chatham Hall as I read her book. In particular, I was struck by the concept of joy. Kondo asserts that of each item in our spaces, we should ask: “Does this spark joy?” This phrase resonated for me. Not merely for the purpose of putting effects into order, I was struck by the power of the words themselves. The igniting image of sparking joy encapsulates so much of what has happened at Chatham Hall over the past few months and what is destined to happen this year. Graduation was indeed a spectacular event. We were blessed with great weather and a wonderful opportunity to honor the accomplishments of the senior class. A remarkable group of young women, I remain impressed by the strength of intellect, character, and engagement that the Class of 2015 demonstrates. The breadth and the depth of their college acceptance list also speaks to this. Our girls