Dear Families,
I’ve been thinking a lot about collective joy this week, or as Adam Grant wrote about during the end of the pandemic: collective effervescence. Collective effervescence is “the sense of energy and harmony people feel when they come together in a group around a shared purpose. Collective effervescence is the synchrony you feel when you slide into rhythm with strangers on a dance floor, colleagues in a brainstorming session, cousins at a religious service, or teammates on a soccer field.”
I’ve witnessed this in droves the last few weeks–dancing to The Beat Tells with many of you last Saturday night at our 65th Celebration, cheering on our Volleyball and Cross Country teams throughout two victorious seasons, celebrating with faculty at the successful conclusion of this week’s PAIS Accreditation visit. And of course, cheering on the Phillies and Eagles alongside a city that has seemed to erupt in shared happiness and optimism.
On Monday, we hope to nurture yet another moment of collective effervescence with our Halloween celebration. One of Pilot’s community norms is to “Be Vulnerable,” and I think Halloween provides a great opportunity to put that norm in action. Indeed, wearing a costume requires a certain degree of vulnerability. Costumes are the embodiment of creativity, silliness, imagination, and passion. They can communicate our favorite things, our sense of humor, or our secret wishes. Most importantly, being in costume and seeing others in costume is fun! And for all of those reasons, I have been encouraging all of our students to come dressed up to the fullest!
Students should arrive at school already wearing their costumes. Parents are invited to arrive as early as 10:30 for a parent social hour prior to the parade. We’ll have coffee and cider outside to enjoy while you chat. The Home and School Association will be selling Chili-to-go for easy Trick-or-Treat dinners. At 11:15, the students and faculty will parade around the building, starting in the Lower Division playground and looping around to the main lobby. The parade will make that loop twice. Please spread out so the students have plenty of people to wave to as they walk! Also, keep your eyes out for our faculty costume teams, as you’ll have a chance again this year to vote on your favorites!
We’re excited to see you all soon! Until then, Go Phils! Go Birds! Happy Halloween!
Joyfully,
Alli
Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UDlJ0Tb2dTH8npK5YT4ycV6runP1YlrY/view?usp=sharing
