Hello dear MSA communities,
Welcome back!
To mark the new year, I set an intention to lean into design thinking – a methodology of creative problem solving I was introduced to in workshops with Stanford’s d.school. They believe – and I whole-heartedly agree – that everyone has the capacity to be creative. We can build and practice critical skills necessary to navigate ambiguity, complexity, and challenges we’ve never seen or trained for. My husband gave me two books to inspire me to think in new ways: Creative Acts for Curious People and Dear Data. Both books offer engaging activities to see and think and act differently.
Clearly the start of our 2nd semester and 2022 provide ample opportunity to navigate ambiguity, complexity, and challenge. As we all know by now, our school and community context requires us to be flexible and balance many perspectives given the Omnicron spread and response. I’ve already had many opportunities to practice holding multiple truths and perspectives at once. Thinking through how to represent and how to communicate the new rules helped me process the implications: No gatherings of 50 or more indoors or out means no artist athlete families at games and a delay of our beloved MSA theatre production of Young Frank and MSA Winter Dance Concert. No in-person staff meetings. A lot of independent study.
But these realities are opportunities for creative alternatives. Our NHS Athletic Boosters are streaming (and need us to register – see below). Our dancers have more time to extend their choreography. We’ll get through these challenges – hopefully with grace and curiosity and collaboration. Thank you for your understanding and your support.
Stay healthy and hope to see you soon (masked in a KN-95, of course).
Warmly,
Michelle Cortez
MSA Director/NHS Assistant Principal
p.s. Check out my visual reinterpretation of the new MCOE and Marin County Public Health guidance on quarantine if COVID positive. Its been confusing – 5 days via CDC – 10 days via MCOE – now 5 days with several caveats. Hope the graphic timeline helps and, of course, things may change. . .