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At Our C.O.R.E.

Resilience. If ever there were a community that perfectly demonstrates the ability to adapt, recover, and thrive in the face of mind-numbing challenges, it is ours.

Resilience meant not only reimagining school this year to enable all to learn in person, it also meant needing to ensure all boys could continue learning uninterrupted, despite quarantining, underlying illnesses or conditions, or family financial strain caused by the pandemic. When the school announced a strategic desire to provide tuition assistance to current Saint David’s families in need, the parent community, in true Saint David’s fashion, jumped in eager to lead. Unable to host an in-person benefit this year, the Parents Association chose to make our tuition support objective the focus of their fundraising efforts and so C.O.R.E. (Community, Optimism, Resilience, Endurance) Emergency Aid Fund was born.

C.O.R.E. Chair Cindy Wagner and her team have done a remarkable job raising funds and surpassing their goal through a variety of initiatives; ingeniously echoing the spirit and fun of our traditional benefit. As a culminating  event, this Wednesday evening our families participated via Zoom in a Mocktail/Cocktail Demonstration with Geoffrey Zakarian, where we learned how to make three specialty drinks, from this master Iron Chef—one better than the next. It was great fun to partake in a shared activity that celebrated the strength of this caring community; we are grateful to Geoffrey for giving us this special evening.

On behalf of the boys and our community, I extend heartfelt appreciation to Cindy and to the C.O.R.E. Committee Chairs: Fiona Simmonds and Kristen Williams (Commemorative Gift); Anne Callender, Ursula Corgan, Sean Klimczak, Lee Lowenstein, and Alisa Wood (Donor Outreach); Felicia Baer, Denise Plunkett, and Tierney Smith (Family Photo Journal); Alison Larsen and Liz O’Malley (Headmaster for the Day); Sara DiPasquale and Amanda Newman (Marketing and Tech); Christina Henderson (PA Fund Liaison); Shannon Hale and Krisi Sullivan (Tie). We also thank PA President Heather Rhatigan, her officers, and teams of volunteers who continue to support our school’s mission despite pandemic-imposed difficulties.

Over these 12 months, Saint David’s has demonstrated its ability to bend not break, to swim not sink. And, when this pandemic is finally in the rearview mirror, only then will we be able to truly see how it has changed us for the better—making us even stronger, bolder, and more connected.

The following video debuted during our Virtual evening Wednesday; Saint David’s indeed, always feels like home.

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