Dear Commonwealth community,

We find ourselves at the end of the school year, the end of an extraordinary semester, and the end of a remarkable week. We are preparing to move forward—as individuals, as a community, as a nation—renewed in our commitment to turning out young people who will contribute meaningfully to healthier, fairer communities that respect the dignity of each and every person. And we will, step by difficult step, carry on.

You might recall how, early in the shutdown in March, I shared a story about a traveler on a nighttime journey. Using a lantern to illuminate the rugged path ahead, the traveler can only move forward as the path comes into view, trusting that each step and each decision will in the end get him to his destination.

Over the past ten weeks, we have been moving forward into new territory, revising and adjusting course as we go—but we have made considerable progress and learned a great deal about ourselves and our school along the way.

Our students and faculty have accomplished an impressive amount in our two months in Virtual Commonwealth. Students have hosted events like COMMUN and virtual Hancock, and carried on with a broad swath of clubs and activities. Teachers and students have covered academic material that has collectively met and in some cases far surpassed our expectations. Still, we plan on building on our successes and learning from our mistakes as we shift from crisis response to more deliberate planning.

As soon as assurances of safety can be made, we will resume classes in our Commonwealth Avenue home, adapting as necessary to conditions and the needs of various members of our community. Over the summer, committees of faculty and staff will develop plans and protocols for safe use of our facilities and flexible implementation of our academic and extracurricular programs, including infrastructure for hybrid teaching, which involves some people together in a classroom and others participating remotely. A key priority will be ensuring the health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Teachers will adapt their course syllabi to facilitate the move from in-person to hybrid to remote learning, as the need arises. We will share the results of these efforts and more concrete plans for the fall semester by early August.

We also intend to reach out periodically over the summer with dispatches from our community. While the absences of our friends and colleagues—and of all of us from our brownstones—have been keenly felt, in many ways we have more opportunities to stay connected than ever before, and we believe it important to do so. To that end I encourage you all to keep us abreast of your summertime plans and activities by emailing our communications team or tagging the school on social media.

Tomorrow is graduation, which will cap off a uniquely challenging year. But it is more important to recognize it as the culmination of four years of our seniors' remarkable intellectual and personal growth. To the members of the Class of 2020: you have set an example of grace and fortitude that your younger classmates—and teachers—will not soon forget. You may not be walking across a stage tomorrow, but your graduation will constitute a well-earned passage. We feel privileged to be able to take this last step together and excited to see where your respective journeys lead.

Until then, I hope you all take advantage of this much needed and well-deserved summer respite. (I, for one, am looking forward to finishing Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light, which I just started in March, and to enjoying my first months as a grandfather.)

Do things that feed your spirit. Go outside. Rest. And stay connected.

Until tomorrow,