The Wonderful in the Making

By Dr. Heather J. Pinedo-Burns, Head of School

Over the past few weeks, we have enjoyed a wonderful gift, the delight of welcoming many Acera alumni back through our doors. They arrive a little taller, a little older, carrying stories of new schools, new teachers, new classes, new friendships, and new adventures. There is something lovely and familiar about watching them reconnect with teachers, seek out old friends, and walk through the Commons, finding their way back into the rhythms of a place they once called their own. In these moments, I find myself thinking about what it means for a teenager to have a day off from school and choose to spend it visiting their former school. Of all the places they could go, and all the things they could do, they chose to come back to Acera. The significance of that choice is not lost on me. It speaks to something beyond academics, beyond the projects and experiences that fill our school days. It speaks to belonging. To being known, understood, and valued. To have a place that continues to feel like yours, even after you have moved on. That is a wonderful thing.

Perhaps these visits feel particularly meaningful at this time of year. We are now in the middle of October, when the rhythms of school have fully taken hold and experiences, all of them, are beginning to layer. The workload is increasing, the intellectual challenges are deepening, and Acera friendships so eagerly anticipated after a summer apart are navigating the inevitable complexities of being together again. The joy of returning to school is still very much here, AND we are also in the midst of it all. The hard work, the big feelings, the moments of frustration, the discoveries, the laughter, and the growth.

Lately, I have been reading the poetry of former U.S. Poet Laureate Stanley Kunitz, and I recently returned to his poem "The Layers" after many, many years. In this poem, Kunitz reflects on how our lives are shaped by the accumulation of experiences, the people we encounter, the changes we navigate, and the moments that leave their imprint upon us. Some layers are joyful, others are hard, some important, some seemingly insignificant in the moment, and together they become part of who we are as individuals. These layers are formed with each moment: a friendship deepened, a problem finally solved, a difficult conversation navigated, a new passion discovered, the courage harnessed when something felt just beyond reach.

Kunitz writes of finding "every stone on the road precious to me." I love thinking about school in this way. Each day adds another layer, each stone along the path holding something of value, even when we cannot yet see it. We cannot always recognize the significance of these experiences while we are living them. Sometimes it takes time and distance to understand what a place, a person, or an experience has meant to us. Perhaps that is part of what our alumni bring when they return. They offer us a glimpse of how the ordinary days of school, layered one upon another, become something extraordinary. And yet, what I love most about this idea is that the wonderful is not something we have to wait for. It is not found only in the easy moments, the extraordinary accomplishments, the big celebrations, or even in the fond memories we carry years later. It is here, right now, in the wonderfully messy, challenging, joyful work of growing up. In the friendships being strengthened, the questions being asked, the challenges being met, and the moments of discovery that unfold every day.

Here at Acera, in the middle of October, with all its complexity and possibility, we are getting to the wonderful. And that is an amazing place to be.