Saturday night’s 75th Anniversary celebration, “In Full Swing!” was simply amazing. What a thrill it was to see so many alumni, friends, and families together under one tent, dancing the night away. It was a fantastic fundraiser, but more important, it was the kind of incredible night that reminds us all why we are here, doing what we do every day. Following is what Sue Wells, Head of School, said to the 300+ people in attendance that night.
What a night for Pine Cobble School! We have a great deal to celebrate together.
Our Founders, Doris and Edgar Flinton, had three children who are all with us tonight: two from Los Angeles and the other from Rhode Island. We are thrilled to have this deep connection to the outstanding people who made this school possible for generations.
Seventy-five years: three quarters of a century…years that saw the Great Depression, World War II, Manned Space Travel, the Beatles, the Civil Rights movement, the World Wide Web…and so much more. Through all of those years, Pine Cobble has been here providing an extraordinary education.
What makes Pine Cobble extraordinary is the very thing that has been the common thread in those 75 years: joy.
It’s the joy of learning (we see it every day), the joy of wonder (we see it in their youthful eyes), it’s the simple, irreplaceable joy of human connection. In 75 years, it has never been harder to make and keep that human connection, and it has never been more important than now. That is what we do at Pine Cobble – make and keep the human connection.
Make no mistake, it is hard work preserving a community like this where joy is at the center. Joy is what inspired folks; some in the room now, to rebuild Pine Cobble after the 1970 fire when many would have given up. That same joy is what has brought all of us together tonight.
And there are rewards that come from this hard work. Year after year graduates leave Pine Cobble knowing what really matters, being content with themselves and being ready to pursue a thoughtful and purposeful life. Those are the true and lasting marks of a Pine Cobble person. A reward for us all.
To all of you in attendance tonight, thank you for being an important part of this special and joyful community. Here’s to the first 75 years – and the next 75. Thank you.