Lise's Lens: January 23, 2025

Happy End of Mod 3! It has been a week filled with joy, excitement, and enrichment as we celebrated MLK’s legacy, rocked out to Billy Joel, Kansas, Pink Floyd and more at Rock Pop, and celebrated recent student work at the End-of-Mod Show.

WHAT I’M READING
 
  • I’ve been reading various quotes and articles about joy and the difference between joy and happiness. It can get really heady, but exploring these concepts has rekindled my capacity to be more joyful, and it’s done a lot for my spirits, and dare I say, my health. There are many articles and books about joy and happiness, but I define joy (today) as the collection of beautiful things you notice about people when you take a hot second to stay put. 

    I’ve spent most of the last week thinking about this, the gift of staying put. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel and have had truly marvelous and life changing trips these past few months. However, here on campus, the gifts abound! At CSW, there are life altering journeys, both personal and collective. Some are big, and some are small; some visible, and others hard to know unless they are shared with you. 

    Here are some examples: witnessing the joy of the girls basketball team as they hit their “flow” on the court; listening to a few sweaty students talks about their hours-long dance concert rehearsals over dinner; walking into the art building at 8:00 p.m. and witnessing a student working hard on a chess piece for their end-of-mod showcase, and hearing them share with me what it means to them. It’s what I see and feel in a ninth grade health class as students watch their peers play a game they invented. It’s also sitting on the sidelines with the parent of a senior and reminiscing together on the first time we met, and the joys of parenting and watching their student become here at CSW. So it’s winter here in New England but the gifts of joy abound!
     
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
 
  • I’m thinking about our MLK Day Assembly, which was kicked off by the co-heads of our Black Student Union, with a brief biography and framing of MLK’s life and work, followed by a presentation from guest speaker Marquis Victor of Elevated Thought, a visionary organization based in Lawrence, dedicated to empowering youth through art, activism, and creative expression. We'll engage with the values of justice, liberation, and youth empowerment, as expressed through the transformative power of art. I really appreciated Marquis’s openness about his journey from third grade, through his teens, college, and beyond. It was a road with bumps and challenges, yet they all contributed to who he is today and who he serves. It reminds me of the concept of “proximity” that Brian Stevenson brings up so well in his book, Just Mercy.  When we have proximity to the issues and the people who face them, we have more grace, more mercy and more understanding. Elevated Thought is a place of joy and of power of the individual person being in touch with their own humanity and their dreams for themselves and others. Ultimately, his message was about hope, love, and justice, and I couldn't think of a better way to honor Dr. King!
 
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
 
  • This year, the Rock Pop Ensemble, under the brilliant leadership of Gustavo Brasil, paid an amazing tribute to Billy Joel's greatest hits, along with some progressive rock favorites. Frankly, don’t ask me how he/they do it! The talent and passion of our vocalists and instrumentalists is awe inspiring. How they turn around such a performance while having a full load of classes is really telling of their love of music and performance. If you were unable to make it in-person or would like to relive the night, join us at the Zoom Watch Party on February 11. You won’t regret it!

WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
 
As I mentioned, I recently got to sit in on Madisyn’s Ninth Grade Health Class. I always enjoy the chance to visit classes and this was a new one for me, so I really appreciated the opportunity. Here I am trying out an original game students created. 
 
Null

Campus News

Meet CSW Students


45 Georgian Road | Weston, MA 02493 | 781-642-8600

CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.