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Dear Â鶹´«Ã½ Community,

With delight and optimism, I write to you from the Principal’s Office in J. Smith. I could not feel more honored to serve as the 17th principal of Â鶹´«Ã½, and after months of eager anticipation, I am grateful to be here on campus.

In these opening days and weeks on campus, members of the community have welcomed my family and me with warmth and generosity. Can-do helpfulness and non-sibi spirit are palpable with every interaction, greeting and kind gesture, as folks have assisted with unpacking, orienting and acclimating. My husband, Grant, our four sons, Sam (22), Peter (20), George (18), and James (15), and our two dogs (Piper and Cali), and I have had a blast exploring campus gems, nearby woods, local beaches and Â鶹´«Ã½ restaurants. As you might expect, evening walks to Stillwells for giant scoops of delicious ice cream have become a ritual. Our first week here, a strawberry moon illuminated our evening stroll across Hill Bridge where fireflies swarmed the banks of the Â鶹´«Ã½ River.

My days are filled with nonstop opportunities for learning: fascinating conversations with colleagues and members of the alumni community, walks about campus to check out academic, athletic and residential spaces, and visits to the Lamont Gallery and the Class of 1945 Library and Archives. Campus is abuzz with activity, as 547 students from 38 US states and 42 countries and 127 faculty members traverse campus pathways with infectious energy in between their Â鶹´«Ã½ Summer courses and activities, as campus adults strategize and prepare for the year ahead, as the Facilities team maintains the beauty and function of campus spaces, as Global Initiatives supports our programs around the world, as the dining hall team nourishes us all, and as teams work tirelessly on three major construction projects and fifty smaller ones.

Last week, I had my first sneak peek of the Academy Building. For months, from an outsider’s perspective, I have been fascinated by the orchestration of people, equipment and activity, with the Instagram crane photos topping the charts of my wonder scale. I could not believe my good fortune when I got to don a hard hat and cross the building’s threshold with our director of facilities management and project manager of this remarkable endeavor. The best word to describe my experience: awe. Awe for the extraordinary attention to detail in restoring the beauty, craftsmanship and artistry of the original Harkness spaces; for the deep sense of connection I felt to the Academy’s history as I climbed the carefully preserved marble stairs and imagined the generations of learners who have convened in the elegant Latin Study; for the sense of possibility and potential that I believe the robotics and makers spaces will inspire as we enter the ground floor each day; and for the power of community that we will get to experience each time we gather together in the Assembly Hall. As I stood on the plastic-covered perch at the front of that grand space, looked up at the ornate light-transferring cupola, and scanned the spaciousness that our students and colleagues will soon bring to life, I was filled with awe and gratitude. In a few short months, we will assemble in this astounding physical structure that honors our deep history, creates daily opportunities for learning, growth, goodness and knowledge, and enthuses us to dream about what will and can be.

Students, I am hoping that you are enjoying your time away from campus, and I am curious about how you have filled your days: your work, your play, your time with loved ones, and your efforts to recharge and prepare. I want to know what you have been reading, watching and consuming, and I hope you will tell me about your new hobbies and old favorites. New students, I am counting the days until I get to welcome you to campus and embark on this exciting and transformative learning adventure with you. I am eager to join your classes, visit your practices and rehearsals, host you at Saltonstall House, indulge in Grill cookies with you, admire the latest Lamont exhibit with you, catch up in the omelet line at Elm Street, and cheer for you from the sidelines and the audience.

As I will be finishing my final courses for my doctorate program this year, I will study and draft right alongside you at the Rawson Reading Room tables and in the stacks of the library. Alongside my colleagues, I will be celebrating and supporting you every chance I get.

Each day I sharpen my appreciation for why you love Â鶹´«Ã½ so fiercely. And I am certain this understanding will deepen even further once you are here.

With much gratitude and excitement,
Jenny Elliott, principal