One of the enduring highlights of working at a school is the regular return of the academic seasons, and, with it, the chance to welcome our community back for a new semester, and to welcome the students who are joining us for the first time this spring. This year, the joy of welcome is tinged with sadness. Last week, the number of COVID-19 deaths in the US exceeded 400,000, a toll of sorrow which adds to the overall weight of sickness and death this disease has brought to the world. Yet even, perhaps especially, in the midst of challenge, we are grateful to be connected, and to pursue the goal of a healthier world. So, welcome to all, and, especially, to our newest students.
We begin our Spring semester at a moment of transition. The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris represents a political sea change, and, with Vice President Harris and the many firsts her rise reflects, a win for representation in government. Concurrent with this transition, we have also seen a potential turning of the tide in this pandemic. Sadly, ending COVID-19 cannot be accomplished as quickly as a presidential transition. However, the emergence of vaccines, and the new administration’s commitment to their effective distribution, represents what we will hopefully soon be able to say was the beginning of the end of this crisis. So, while the hour remains difficult, we have finally reached a point where we can see the dawn of a better day for health.
Read the full piece on SPH This Week.