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SKS
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Our Common Ground
Diane Travers ‘72
“...
How we treat one another in
thought and speech lies at the
foundation of what we think
of as a community. It is our
common ground.”
continued on page 24
A REFLECTION ON COMMuNITy
W
hat connects us all? What meaning do we bring to the idea of community at such
time as the tragic massacre of 20 children and 6 educators this past December? When the
facts emerged of the horrors that rained down on Newtown, Connecticut the enormity
was greater than most of us could wrap our minds around—but not our hearts. The world
responded in an abundant generous outpouring of love and resources to the families and
first responders of Newtown. So did two of our own from the SKS community; Connecticut
State Police Lieutenant J. Paul Vance ’71, who served as department spokesman to the media and
SKS Director of Development Irene Seguin, who lived in Newtown for 15 years and raised her children there.
Irene sent a handwritten letter of outreach to Lt. Vance on December 18, 2012. She commended him for
“
the calm he exhibited under tremendous stress and duress.” On behalf of
SKS she sent him “our thoughts and prayers” in the difficult days ahead.
She went on to relay “the Storm King community is proud to call you
a member of our collective community,” and included a gift; a newly
designed SKS T-shirt.
He responded in kind.
“
Dear Irene,
I wanted to thank you and the Storm King community for your kind-
ness during this terrible Newtown tragedy. The entire situation was very
hard to deal with, and certainly took its toll on the troopers and the entire community. My foundation and
training, starting with SKS, helped me to communicate with the public to keep them informed.
I appreciated and need your thoughts and prayers as we all begin to try to heal. Please know I will wear my
SKS T-shirt at the gym with pride. Best wishes in 2013.
—
J. Paul Vance ’71”
Sometimes our collective history binds us. Events remind us of our regular humanity. How we treat one
another in thought and speech lies at the foundation of what we think of as a community. It is our common
ground.
During those dark days when nature and the lunar calendar coincided, our Head of School
Paul Domingue, led the entire community in a Vespers ceremony to mark the Winter Solstice—a ritual he
relishes and celebrates. It brings together the best of all our traditions in a reflective and meditative ceremony;
one that calls to mind the season and its specialness, while ever mindful of all that we have in common. It
provided an opportunity for Storm King’s students—who hail from the United States and 16 foreign coun-
tries— to share with one another their religion or cultural heritage through poems and stories, live music and
song, and handmade holiday decorations and ornaments. Faculty member Jeremy Freeman began the ecclesi-
astic celebratory procession on the bagpipes leading the way into the theatre. Additional music was provided
by students and the Hudson Brass.
Vespers concluded in a the Walter Reade, Jr. Theatre with the lighting of 200 candles, each flame represent-
