Finding Your Cenote

Head of School Lise Charlier

Dear families,

I continue to work from my office daily, appreciating our beautiful campus that is currently entirely too tranquil for my liking. I have also been reading Onward, by Elena Aguilar, a book on building resilience that is helping me right now. Today, I would like to share an anecdote from the book involving cenotes, using them as a metaphor for what might help us in the situation we are currently experiencing at CSW and in the wider world around us. 

Imagine that you are walking in the arid part of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, feeling hot and tired with no hope of relief from the sun or of finding water, and wondering how you will possibly keep going. Suddenly you come upon a cenote — a deep pool of magnificent blue water. There are over 6,000 cenotes found in the Yucatán, known, amongst other things, for its hot temperatures. They are natural formations often used as ritual sites for ancient Mayan traditions. To the naked eye, they appear out of place and coming from nowhere. However, those who know the land know what runs under the surface. The sounds of chirping birds darting around the water and the welcome sight of greenery amplify the euphoria of your discovery. In the crystal clear water, you wash off the dust from your journey and cool down. 

In life, we will find ourselves, as many of us do now, in times where we are exhausted both physically and mentally, drained of energy and creativity, and uncertain of where we will find our relief. Just as the groundwater that flows into the cenotes runs under the arid land of the Yucatán, we too have our own resources that we can draw upon to wash the dust off our face and find relief from the strains of our surroundings. We each have our cenote — it could be a place, an activity, a book, a practice of self care, or any combination of things.  

These days my cenote is a combination of old “go-tos” and some surprising new ones. Since I cannot seem to read for pleasure these days, I look forward to hearing about what others are reading and living vicariously through them. If you have not already visited the “Read It” section of the newsletter, I highly suggest you check it out. Students recently featured include Lucy Ward ’23, Rachel Sontheimer ’20, and Tianhe “Peter” Yin ’20. I also listen to music by ABBA on Saturday mornings before jumping onto my new kick, which is listening to Club Quarantine (@DNICE on Instagram — basically, a throwback to dance house parties). I also try to have at least one family-related Zoom gathering a week and another for friends scattered far and wide. Together, it all seems to help and get me back on course for Mondays. I hope you, too, can find your own cenote in the days and weeks to come.

A few weeks ago, Jordan Clark and a team of dedicated students successfully created a virtual Michael H. Feldman ’67 Social Justice Day for all of us with workshops exploring social justice topics related to COVID-19. My biggest take-away from our keynote address was the need to shift from the concept of social distancing to social solidarity. In other words, instead of emphasizing isolation, use these moments as opportunities for solidarity; for a better awareness of those around us; and for empathy and advocacy on their behalf. 

With this thought in mind, it has been heartening the witness the myriad of opportunities for social engagement and community our faculty and staff have recently hosted for our students — with fun activities like “Breakfast with the Dean of Students,” “Crafting with Jenna,” and “Guess that Senior!” and informative talks like the “COVID-19 Expert Q&A” session with parents Dr. Carey Thomson P’22 and Dr. David Sinclair P’21 earlier this week. 

As we realize the importance of taking care of ourselves and working through these challenging times, so too must we continue to live out our mission to think of our contributions to our community and the world.

Lise 
 

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.