Dear Sisters & Brothers, Colleagues, Friends:

We got through a challenging school year, and for that, I want to thank you for your continued perseverance and dedication.

Many of our 12-month employees will continue working in operations, maintenance and custodial work, and some will continue providing direct student and clerical services to the summer school operations.

Much of the curriculum instruction continues with online integration, and things are far from being back to normal, but nothing in life is certain and I hope that the period of emergency management has at least allowed us all to re-examine what truly matters in life, spend some time with those closest to us and gain a new appreciation for the old ‘normalcy.’

Kurt Vonnegut was a famous writer and professor of literary criticism who wrote about the importance of meaning and stories to human lives. He told a story in all his lectures of his uncle Alex, a Harvard graduate who died childless, who reminded people often about how rarely we stop, enjoy and appreciate when things are good in our lives.  Sitting under a tree somewhere in the mid-west, drinking lemonade with Alex is Vonnegut’s favourite memory. “Hey, stop, look, isn’t this nice? If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” uncle Alex would ask.

And so before we return to the hustle and bustle of the new school year, I hope your summer will be filled with plenty of moments of “if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

I will continue working through the summer on the issues important to our membership and remain available for your calls, questions and conversation.

In solidarity,

Ian Hillman