We’re in the thick of it now. Gone, for many of us, are the wistful thoughts of Summer being just yesterday. Here, for all of us, are the late-Fall familiarities: chilly air, dark mornings and even darker dinners, the occasional viruses, and all that holiday buzz. We also now probably share a deep sense of being fully entrenched in the school-year routine.

Middle School students had the pleasure of welcoming author and artist Katie Yamasaki to their campus this week to speak about social justice and her work as a muralist.

In addition to having a detailed walk-through of the college process, I witnessed my friends becoming the School’s leaders. I was proud to have my friends as my sport’s captains, and watched them lead our teams to victories, even as they navigated college recruiting. In the arts, I cheered them on as they secured the play’s lead roles, were chosen as soloists in Chorale, and performed the “Senior Quintet” at Homecoming.