Officially it happens today (Thursday, 6/5). Students begin to gather on the beach area in front of The Garthwaite Center for Science and Art (this year beautifully adorned with #2014) and then a group of them climb on the rocks and start to look at their phones (not their watches!) until they can count down to dismissal for summer at 2:30 PM.

Unofficially it has been happening in both simple and complex ways for the past week or so, perhaps beginning with the Boat Dance. It’s a realization on the part of our young students that they will not be together in this particular configuration again, and it hits our seniors the hardest. It is the complexity of this time that draws me in. The combination of emotions, feelings, hugs, smiles and tears with the other measurements of “ending.” During both our “farewells” assembly on Monday and Senior Night last night I heard a lot of pride of accomplishment and growth.
“I learned to think mathematically and to see the beauty of it.”
“This teacher’s passion for her subject led me to new learning.”
“I did not know I was capable of speaking up in front of so many people.”
“I had no idea that school was a place where I could learn so much about myself, understand how to be part of a community and see myself as a talented student.”

And then of course this countdown is part of the cycle of my life (and that of my peers) as an educator. We welcomed new families to school last week; during the summer their orientation will begin culminating in the opening of school in late August/ early September. It’s a countdown followed by a pause and then we hit reset.

This week though, we honor those seniors counting down and we enjoy watching their readiness for the reset ahead.

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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.