Dr. Rebecca W. Bushnell ’70
CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
As I write this letter in early March of 2021, the entire world is reflecting on the past year when our lives were shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of us has experienced this crisis differently, and many have endured incalculable losses, but we have all suffered the disruption of the communities that sustain our lives. We see now that we took so much for granted when connecting with each other in person. At PDS, parents miss the casual chats exchanged when waiting for children at the school day’s end or on the sidelines at games, and the students have sacrificed so much of their normal social lives. Even the members of the Board of Trustees long for the chance to catch up over a meal or snack before we gather for our deliberations. These kinds of encounters help to weave that fabric that unites us. Given the profound disruption of our lives together, it is remarkable that Princeton Day School has not just survived but also thrived. This issue of the Journal, along with the many news stories posted each week on pds.org, illustrates how the students, faculty and staff have adapted and innovated when facing considerable obstacles. Last summer the School’s indefatigable staff prepared the campus and installed the state-of-the art technology needed to create a safe teaching environment that meets the needs of all our students and families, whether in school or remote. While none of this new way of learning was easy, our dedicated faculty and our responsive and eager students made it work. With the stress of adapting to this new environment, it is even more impressive that PDS has advanced its efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion with our “Facing Forward” initiative. Under the wise guidance of DEI Director Anthony McKinley and the rest of the Community and Multicultural Development Team, all members of the school are having important conversations about racism and bias, building a strong foundation for a future in which everyone feels truly a part of a supportive community. The Board of Trustees has also moved forward its work to contribute to this effort. Chaired by trustee and parent Christopher Bobbitt, our Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has already transformed how we approach identifying and recruiting new trustees, and will lead the Board to examine its own role in combating racism and discrimination. I have been so impressed by the entire school community’s resilience and dedication as we have weathered these changes. In the midst of all this upheaval, we have raced forward to reach the finish line of our Thrive! Campaign in June. I have been moved by the willingness of our parents, alumni and trustees to support the School financially in this challenging time. When we return to campus to full in-person teaching and learning, and we resume all of those casual encounters that have turned out to mean so much to us, we will find a school transformed by the innovative spaces, programs and opportunities that this generosity has made possible. I certainly look forward to seeing many of you there, enjoying the bright and airy spaces of the new Athletic Center, celebrating the renovated libraries and the brand-new STEAM facilities in the Lower and Middle School, or simply immersing ourselves in the welcome bustle of halls full of students and faculty happy to be with each other again.
Rebecca W. Bushnell ’70
JOURNAL
