Awe

Dear Village Family,

"What is awe? Awe is the feeling of encountering vast mysteries that we don't immediately understand. You can find it in moments of daily living—listening carefully to a thunderstorm, watching documentaries, marveling at the human dramas in a city, or watching the dusk sky turn to night." -Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center.

As we begin the second half of the school year, we invite you on a journey of wonder. With the highs of the holiday season passed we might consider awe to have fled our lives, waiting to return only after the dark days of January. As visionary leader and pastor Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, "I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars." Awe, in the darkest times of our lives, wonder, twinkling in the night. The same night sky that 2000 years ago, men from the East gazed at in total wonder. 

So I pause, stop composing, and watch—the wonder of discovery unfolding before me as my two little girls explore life and all its marvels. 

And I invite you, together as a Village, let us unite as a community searching for awe in the everyday. Together, let us walk these days at the pace of awe, pausing to examine the sprouting plants in the earth up to the billowing oak that towers in the sky and all the wonders in between. 

"for Christ plays in ten thousand places,

Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his

To the Father through the features of men's faces." 

As Kingfishers Catch Fire BY GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS

And as awe fills our lives, let us take action, for it was the night sky that sparked the wise men's Epiphany. So let wonder spark us to the action of seeking God and serving others filling our worlds with the joy to journey, the awe to adventure, and the wonder to wander. 

We invite you to join us for a night of awe as we journey into the magical world of Narnia with our Middle Years Programme in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe on stage January 25th and 27th. Make sure to reserve your tickets for the grand adventure today as we dive into the fantastical world of CS Lewis!

Finally, find some more important dates from January as start our second semester together:

• January 5th is our all-school chapel (Dress Uniform for Kindergarten to 9th Grade) as we celebrate the ultimate wonder of Christ through the Epiphany.   
• Re-enrollment closes on Sunday, January 7th. To re-enroll your student for the next school year, go to TADS and complete the enrollment agreement by Sunday, January 7th, 2024. Please let us know if you have any questions by calling (407.900.7708), emailing (prepschool@creationvillage.com), or messaging through Toddle.
• School will be closed on January 15th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and his incredible legacy of love as we strive for his goal for developing children, "Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education."
• High School Open House on January 16th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Join us to learn more about the growth of our program and what the future will hold for your student. RSVP here to save your space. 

With Wonder,

Derek Cummings
Head of School