Letter from Oakwood Friends School

Greetings from Oakwood Friends School. I am writing to share with you the sentiments and actions of our school community as we begin this new school year amidst international conflict and violence. World events have created a complex convergence of forces, compelling us to look outward to learn more about our global neighbors and national policies, and to turn inward to gather the strength and light of the spirit.

In these frightening and confusing times, the mood around the Oakwood campus is both somber and purposeful. Many people are speaking about loss. There is laughter to be heard, but it is not as hearty as usual, and there is a clear sense that many students, faculty, and families are feeling fragile.

We were extremely fortunate that no Oakwood family members were lost in New York or Washington or the plane crash in Pennsylvania. Nonetheless, several members of our school community have close friends who died, and we all have in our minds the awful images of the events on September 11th. You may have heard that the husband of Poughkeepsie's mayor was killed; he worked in a building near the World Trade Center, and he may have ventured into that area to assist survivors during the time of the buildings' collapse.

Since September 11, we have held a number of special Meetings for Worship and community meetings. Students and faculty alike have spoken poignantly of the tragic events, expressed fears of further violence, and wished aloud for peace and understanding. The silence, too, has been especially deep. I think we are all very glad to be in a Quaker community at a time like this, where the natural response to tragedy is to come together in worship. We are all grateful to be able to turn to this customary format of sharing in a time of fear and sadness.

Students and faculty have generated a variety of projects to respond to the terrorist attacks. Earth has been tilled for a memorial garden, and several students have created art work that now hangs in the Meeting Room. A group of students organized a collection to support rescue workers and families in need, funded in part by a car wash and a band concert. Other students are writing letters to the editor and to politicians. Students who are old enough will be participating in a blood drive in the coming weeks. Teachers have taken time from their regular course syllabi to address the need for information and discussion on the events in Afghanistan and beyond. The Oakwood community has responded to violence and sadness in energetic, practical, and reflective ways.

The wider independent school and Quaker school communities have been very supportive over the past month, and electronic communication has been a wonderful tool. We've received helpful messages, position statements, editorials and press releases from the National Association of Independent Schools, the Friends Council on Education, the American Friends Service Committee, and other Quaker groups. A Quaker list-serve has been a forum for exchanging ideas among Friends schools.

As we move through the days and weeks ahead, I hope we can all continue to hold in the Light those families who have sustained terrible losses, here and abroad, mindful of the fact that many continue to be victims of violence and grief.

Sincerely,

Peter F. Baily, head of school, Oakwood Friends School