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Chase Calls For Head of School Day

Screams and cheers erupted as Head of School Barbara Chase walked into Commons waving her field hockey stick to announce the cancellation of classes and extra-curricular activities on Tuesday, February 22. This year’s Head of School Day took place later in the term than usual, two weeks before Extended Period Week. The prolonged date caused rumors to spread across campus, including one that Head of School Day would be pushed into spring term. Rebecca Sykes, Associate Head of School, said that the idea of hosting Head of School Day in the spring term was considered. “Honestly, I don’t recall [Head of School Day] ever having been quite this late. One of the factors this time was the snow day along with the long weekend,” said Sykes. According to Sykes, Tuesday was chosen to be Head of School Day because it was clear that faculty and students needed it for a morale boost. The date for Head of School Day is a joint decision among a small number of senior administrators who advise Barbara Chase. Chase ultimately makes the decision in the winter term. “I think the students were ecstatic, grateful and relieved, especially after all the speculation and the rumors. [Head of School Day] is a stress-reliever,” said Sykes. Esther Muradov ’11 said, “I was really surprised that it was this late in the term, but at the same time I remembered that we had a snow day, so I figured that was probably the reason for the delay.” By the time Head of School Day took place, some students found that they needed the day off. Jessica Weng ’11 said, “I really needed it because I had a ton of work, and I was exhausted from the term. I spent the day doing work. It was such a much needed day, but I don’t think I needed it as much last year as I did this year.” Head of School Day is intended to give students a day to rest and catch up on work. Some students used the day off to catch up on work and study for tests. “I wasn’t on campus at all. I had a little too much work to think about whether I was coming on campus or not, so I was fine with staying home,” said Miki Nagahara ’13. Sykes did not receive very many responses from faculty and interpreted the lack of response as a good sign. “If folks are not happy about [Head of School Day], usually after I send out my email I’ll get a response back with a complaint, and I didn’t get any this year,” said Sykes. Muradov said, “I was leaving Lower Left and saw people crowded next to the door, so I knew that something was going on. It all happened in slow motion. First, I heard screams, then saw someone walk in, and then everyone burst out screaming, and I ran towards the center and everyone was just so happy and excited.” “I’d never actually seen Mrs. Chase come out with the stick, I’d always miss it every year, so I was really happy that I could actually see it this year,” she continued.