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Head of School Shares Life Lesson Learned From Family Member

2/19/2020

Head of School Penny Evins addressed Collegiate Middle School students today at their morning assembly and shared memories of being their age.

Mrs. Evins told them of growing up in New Orleans, worrying about making the soccer team, loving Madonna and trying to manage a difficult school workload.

She also talked about how members of her family, including her grandfather, “Baba” as she called him, embarrassed her as a Middle Schooler.

“Baba was to me, old and, well, dated,” she said. “What I didn’t realize is that he was so cool.”

He always held the door for others, she said, literally and figuratively. During World War II, he worked to help Jewish immigrants who arrived in the United States.

“Baba held the door and taught me how to do so for others,” Mrs. Evins said. “I encourage you to be a door holder and give others the opportunities that we may take for granted.”

Collegiate’s mission calls on us to be a diverse and inclusive community of learners, she said.

“As such, I hope my stroll down memory lane with my paternal grandfather, Baba, helped inspire you to open the door for each other and lead from within,” Mrs. Evins said.

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