February 14, 2022
Here we are, mid-February already, and what a week for LCA! It was on Sunday morning in church, in a moment of silent reflection, that I recognized a shift. The LCA events in February have been building… in such a beautiful way. We are pushing through the more challenging cold winter days with moments of joy, celebration and resilience.
I am grateful and thankful for:
- Jeannine Cavallaro and Mo Christmas ’92, for sharing strong messages of hope in Christ in our recent chapels. Their messages were very inspirational and, may I say, excellent “sign-posts for the Kingdom” for our students.
- A MS student sharing in chapel that he is glorifying God by getting baptized on Sunday. It was beautiful to hear the eruption of rousing, encouraging cheers that followed from his MS peers.
- The Middle School Pen Pal Club. Students have been writing to our alumni from the 50’s and 60’s. Sixth Grader Joy Wilson was the first to get a response from Edith Snowdeal ’53. Edith shared that she used to clean the school building for 25 cents an hour to help pay for her tuition. The sacrifice was worth it, and she encouraged Joy to appreciate how valuable Christian education is. Edith promised to both continue to write with Joy and pray for her as she comes to mind.
- The new podcast episode featuring STEM Division Head, Eileen Ng. Our teachers have been so incredible, especially during the extra challenges of the pandemic! Take a few moments to listen to Eileen and the other Division Heads and you’ll hear their heart for God and mind for truth. It is loud and clear.
- A full weekend this past week of whole-community events and gatherings. It has delighted me to see parents back in the building supporting students and faculty, cheering on our teams, enjoying performances, and praying together… and I know this is just the beginning of a return to our favorite traditions.
It’s building … the joy, the celebration, the resilience.
There are two additional highlights from the weekend that I’d like to share a bit more about. The Battle of Lexington and Concord and The Winter Theater Showcase, The New Now.
Friday morning began with a celebration of the Girls Varsity Soccer NEPSAC Tournament Banner followed by a pep rally for the BATTLE. We had a strong turnout at Concord Academy on Friday night. Lots of great cheering and sportsmanship as the nail-biter Battle came down to the final few minutes of the Girls Varsity Basketball game. The contests were tied at two wins each up to that point. It was down to the wire and the score was within 5 points at the end, with the Lady Lions coming out on top! The Drum was coming back to Lexington and the LCA community cheered along with the student athletes!
DID YOU KNOW… The Battle began in January, 2005. There have been 17 Battles, and LCA has won 14 of them. The Battle 2020 (our last Battle pre-pandemic) featured a highlight moment: Cara Andreotti ’20 sinking her 1000th point!!!
LCA’s Athletic Director (AD) received a note from Concord Academy’s AD on Saturday morning. She was extremely appreciative and encouraged by the Battle. Here is a direct quote – “Last night was by far the most positive vibe and spirit in the stands by both sides since I’ve been involved in this event.”
LCA fans also made a point to clean up the bleachers before leaving and thanked Concord Academy for hosting. Thank you, LCA, for living out our LCA core values, and thanks to Andrew Mitchell, our Athletic Director, for leading these efforts! #Glorifying God #Respect
Two additional notable sports events from the past week:
- The Wrestling contests this Saturday where LCA had four first place winners: Billy Duan, Noah Lim, Lucas Viana and Matthew Crocker. And two 2nd place winners: Andrew Moody and Sam Lee-Papastavros. All these wrestlers qualify for the NEPSAC tournament next weekend.
- The Varsity Boys Basketball is 12-1 this season so far, with notable wins this past week against Beaver and Pingree at home. Three more games to go in the season. Go Lions!
And finally, the capstone of the weekend was the Saturday Winter Theater Showcase, The New Now. A silver lining from the pandemic was the initiation last year of a schedule adjustment that gave all upper school students the opportunity to participate in a theater elective. Many upper school students wrote plays for the first time and Mr. Greco curated 10 pieces into the Winter Show. Even better, the plays were not only written by students, but also directed, supported, and acted by students – a full experience. The audiences at 3pm and 7pm on Saturday overwhelmingly showed their enthusiastic support and encouragement.
What I noticed through the student voices in these diverse plays was depth – everything from a comical ”who dun it” to a deeply personal “self reflection, reflection piece”, to a serious look at Alzheimers, and a play commenting on emojis and the important relationship with parents. Our student voices that had important things to say – displaying a deep level of understanding of pain, frustration, disappointment and also hope. With 10 back-to-back shorts there were opportunities for laughter, intrigue, mystery, surprise, wonder and tears.
The most moving scene for me was in Isaac Picariello’s play “Norm”. On his deathbed and not knowing his family due to the devastating effects of Alzheimers, Grandpa Norm unexpectedly joins the family as they pray Psalm 23 together at his bedside. The scene was poignant, as Norm, so far gone from the family in so many ways, joined in voicing the powerful promises from scripture which he knew by heart. Powerful. Thank you to Christopher Greco for making the conditions right for authentic, creative, deep learning and experience through the arts.
Many people are talking about and weighing in on the shifting landscape of Covid protocols which we are all hearing about in the news and on social media. I believe there will be different thoughts and perspectives on the timing of the changes. Please know, we are gathering our Covid Health team to review the situation and will report back once we have solidified a plan. What is clear is that a shift is happening and we are all looking forward to new mercies in the days ahead. Thank you for your patience in the transition. If you’d like to share your perspective with me, I welcome your thoughts via email. I won’t be able to respond to each person individually, however, I will confirm that I received your note and your feedback.
In closing, my reflections on Sunday were punctuated by a special benediction. The church where I am a member uses a Rwandan blessing that gives me hope, encouragement and resolve for the week ahead. I share it as a blessing for the LCA community too and we set forth into a new week – full of possibilities, because our hope is set on Christ.
All our problems
We send to the cross of Christ.
All our sins
We send to the cross of Christ.
All the devil’s works
We send to the cross of Christ.
All our hopes
We set on the risen Christ.
Blessings,
Christine Metzger
Head of School
PS: LCA continues to celebrate our 75th Anniversary this year. Look for more details coming soon about special events on April 29 and 30.