But sometimes we don’t cherish what we have until it’s gone. With a significant portion of our year impacted by crowd-size limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our sense of community grew stronger in some ways since we all were experiencing uncertainty as a community and a nation at the same time. But in other ways our deep sense of community was negatively impacted. Confirmed through their absence, we realized many of our arts and athletic activities help establish community for newcomers, build and sustain community for others, form traditions we all look forward to, and breathe life and energy into all of the members of our CCS community, including students and their families, staff community leaders, and civic and social organizations. May the absence of these community-building activities encourage us to reflect on and be reminded of how meaningful it is to join with others as we enjoy a school play, choral or band performance, watch and cheer for our home teams, admire student-created art exhibits, and line the streets, shoulder-to-shoulder as we celebrate our championship team at a parade in their honor. Although “community” may have evolved in its definition over time, the heart of the matter is we need each other, we depend on each other, and we draw resiliency from each other. Let’s continue to be CCS strong as we return our “new normal”.