Will you join us in this celebration?

On April 22, 2023, we have many reasons to celebrate. Led by Henry D. Fairfax, Concord Academy’s 11th head of school, the school is observing its 100th year of educating young people. It’s our birthday—and it’s also Earth Day! In partnership with The Umbrella Arts Center, just around the corner from our campus, Concord Academy (CA) is hosting the Town of Concord’s Earth Day festivities for the first time. As a leader of the school and someone who believes deeply in civic engagement, I am honored to be a part of both celebrations.

Fun fact: In learning more about the Earth Day histories of both entities, Martha Kennedy, CA’s archivist and librarian, discovered a fascinating detail. The man who coined “Earth Day”—its initial names were far less clear and memorable—in 1970, Julian Koenig, was a CA parent. The late advertising exec was one of the luminaries of twentieth-century marketing, introducing Timex’s unforgettable “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking” as well as Volkswagen’s “Think small” for the Beetle. Coincidentally, April 22 was also Koenig’s own birthday. His daughter Sarah Koenig (class of ’86) is known for revolutionizing and popularizing podcasts, winning numerous awards for Serial. She also produced some of NPR’s most memorable This American Life episodes. My background is in history and philosophy, so these moments resonate for me. We would not have Earth Day as we know it without Mr. Koenig, a frequent visitor to our town, and the podcasts that enliven our commutes would not be the same without Sarah’s vision and talent.

Likewise, C.C. King, a longtime Concord resident, has a deep connection to our multifaceted April 22 fete. She has been central to the town’s Earth Day celebrations for decades and will once again grace the Sudbury River in her role as River Spirit. As she emerges from the river in her hues of blue, she offers homage to the water gods and blessings upon the earth. The tradition of building and sending floats of organic materials down our river will continue this year when we invite the community to launch offerings to the earth from the banks of our campus. We are proud to partner with The Umbrella Arts Center to bring Earth Day in Concord into a new era post-pandemic. The day will also feature musical performances, hands-on community arts projects, and food trucks. Festivities are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Courtesy of Concord Academy

Concord Academy is also marking its Centennial this spring. In mid-June, we will welcome our graduates for reunion and also for our Centennial Celebration. Alums from many professions will offer the CA community their insight on journalism, environmentalism, and many other subjects that affect and enhance our lives. For us, it’s a monumental moment to acknowledge our inception as a girls’—now, all-gender—independent school in the town where the Revolutionary War started; where Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne lived and wrote; and where CA has supported students who have become college presidents, National Book Award recipients, NASA scientists, and leaders in many other realms.

 While we celebrate our textured, unusual, and spectacular history, we are looking toward what’s next. As Concord Academy moves into its second century, we amplify the values of a school that upholds creativity, possibility, trust, collaboration, and optimism. These are values that we hold in common with the town and people of Concord. We are looking forward to our converging celebrations this spring.