Breezes

Last week was a good week. With over 500 students and faculty on campus, an air of familiarity and optimism joined the breezes that came from the mountains. Windows throughout the ‘historic H,’ some of which might not have been opened for a generation, let these winds in just as Myron Hunt had imagined when he designed our campus over a century ago. A brochure from 1908 described the “unusual number” of windows that “admit as much light and fresh air as possible,” creating a building that is “in every way adapted to ideal school conditions in this climate.” It concluded “[t]hese broad open-air passageways hum with the life of the children.” 

Today, we also benefit from the brilliance and tenacity of scientists who produced multiple vaccines at a pace nearly unthinkable a year ago. Thankfully, these heroic characters were wired to visualize the unimaginable, and they collaborated from around the world to lend their expertise to the health crisis that has devastated many communities. Others have analyzed and mined the data to propose countermeasures to ensure our safety and make it possible for us to reopen, frustratingly slowly but with meaningful steps nonetheless. 

We are getting close, so close. The visionaries who designed our campus and those who developed the vaccines have done their part, and now it is up to us. When I say us, I mean us, the Poly community. Over the last year, there have been plenty of examples of individuals and groups from our community committing themselves to ensure that Poly’s mission is upheld regardless of the circumstances. Our teachers, parents, administrators and staff, board of trustees, operations crew, and—most importantly—our students have modeled the generosity, creativity, and resilience that has defined Poly since its founding. In this final stretch, perhaps now more than ever, we need to lean on each other for patience and support. The campus feels different already, and with a little more time, we will emerge with a renewed sense of why we are indeed, stronger together.

Be well,

JWB