A tribute to CSW's Dining Hall Team from Head of School Lise Charlier
Last year I wrote about the fraught aspects of Thanksgiving. While it’s important to acknowledge them (since, sadly, so many of them are still with us), this year I’d like to reflect on the power of gathering, and thank a special group of folks who play a vital and nurturing role in our community.
Many of us will take time over the next few weeks to share in the preparation and celebration of food—for a variety of reasons, in a wide range of ways. These rituals, varied as they may be, anchor us. They allow us to connect and cultivate a sense of belonging. They create space for us to catch up and build memories together. Often during the course of our lives the relationships and memories we build through these gatherings become a well of spiritual food when we need it most.
At CSW, we have always placed a high value on community time—whether to build the hobby house, prepare the ski path in Cat Rock, redo the siding inside the French Gym or paint murals.
Another vital community time for us is lunchtime.
We enjoy a long lunch at CSW. It’s a time where we can choose to do whatever it is that we need for physical or spiritual nourishment. Sometimes, we take our food to our favorite spot on campus and enjoy a moment of quiet reflection while we eat. More often, however, lunchtime is used to gather with one of the many communities we have here. We might meet up with current friends, join a group gathered around a particular interest, catch up with a colleague, or take time to make newcomers feel welcome.
This time in CSW's schedule is intentional. The planning and preparation are equally intentional. Menus are designed to meet a variety of needs and preferences, and every effort is made by all the hands that prepare our food for it to be a moment of pleasure and delight for everyone. In a year where the costs of certain food items has increased by nearly 30%, a key food supplier went on strike, and the supply chain is STILL disrupted, our extraordinary dining hall team has managed to provide many, many favorite lunches to faculty, staff, and students—day in and day out. For the campus residents, they have kept our weekend and holiday brunches going strong, offering us many special dinners along the way (including our most recent Fall Boarding Dinner that had to be planned months ahead of time so they could secure the key ingredients for everyone's favorite dishes).
I was delighted to see these photos by Harvey Li ‘25 at the End of Mod Art Show. Harvey’s images offer well-deserved homage to our talented and dedicated dining staff, many of whom work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that we can gather around meals that are delicious, nutritious, and representative of a variety of tastes and cultures.
I hope you will join me in thanking those who provide us with our daily food at CSW. And I wish all of you many opportunities to gather with those who bring you joy and uplift you—during the holiday season and throughout the year to come.
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.