Lise's Lens: June 6, 2025

This past week, I had the great fortune of joining our Marine Bio students for the tail end of their trip to Hurricane Island. Now that I have returned, I am thinking about 50 years of Pride, savoring my final few Senior Teas, and gearing up to watch the musical tonight!

WHAT I’M READING
 
  • When people think of Baltimore, (specifically people who have never been there), they often think of the television series, The Wire, or know it only as a city plagued by crime and corruption. But Baltimore is a lot more than that. Having lived there for over 25 years, I can tell you that it has vibrant Jewish and Black communities, as well as robust immigrant populations, thanks mostly to being the headquarters (until recently) of many immigrant resettlement programs. It is also home to many incredible art museums and The Maryland Institute College of Art, in addition to the world renowned Johns Hopkins University, and is the site of the first catholic cathedral in the U.S. I could go on and on. But one thing I’ve always loved about Baltimore is that it is a city that endeavors to be a truly welcoming place for all. So, this June, as Baltimore commemorates the 50th anniversary of Pride, The Baltimore Beat put out a special edition asking community members to share poetry, visual art, and essays responding to the question: What Does Pride Mean to You? 

    Here are two quotes that struck me:

    That’s what Pride is. It isn’t booths from corporations pretending they ever cared about us or another oil company acting like flaring a rainbow means they want to see my tribe in their spaces — no. Pride is about seeing your people out in public. It’s about laughing with those who call you their own. It’s about home. — Caroline Ismael Karim, “From Oranges to Crabs”

    Even in a house full of siblings, I felt like an island. I learned to make myself small, to quiet the parts of me that didn’t fit — because back then, safety meant not being seen. But with time, I learned that those quiet parts of me — the parts I was told to tuck away — are the very pieces that make me whole. My queerness isn’t something to be hidden; it’s the truth of my being. It’s the light that refused to be snuffed out.  — Kenneth Watson Jr.

WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
 
  • The end of the school year brings a lot, and the rituals we take part in are so important to our lives, especially those of our seniors. One of my favorite CSW rituals with seniors are the teas we host at the Head’s House. I relish this time when I get to sit with them for one last quiet moment of shared joy and reflection. I try not to have more than 12 students there at a time so that we can all truly connect and hear each other. Sometimes, there are as few as five or six of us at a sitting. For me, personally, it is an opportunity for me to remember that my work is about people and this important time in their growth and development. My respect for them is deep. Journeys aren’t always easy and they hold a great deal of wisdom and perspective. I am so grateful to those who have joined me in fellowship and shared their feedback and thoughts. I always ask them: what about CSW do you hope always stays the same, and what would you like for us to consider doing differently in the future? And I take their answers to heart.
 
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
 
  • I am gearing up for a new experience: watching the musical performance of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. I’ve seen so many students stay after school and come in on weekends these past few weeks, and today is finally the big opening night! It’s always fun to be on campus on those big rehearsal days. The Dining Hall is loud and boisterous for dinner; an advantage of having a boarding program is that day students can dine here for any meal they want, and it allows for hours on end of great, dedicated work. I will admit that I do peek in on the back stage construction, the costuming, and set constructions, as well as the work in the lightning and audio booth. It’s a busy scene! I hope you can come and support this great effort!
     
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
 
Here’s a picture of students sorting kelp as part of marine research for the Hurricane Island Center for Science. The best part of the trip? No cell phones allowed!
 

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CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.