Greetings from Faribault,

Last night we hosted our annual Holiday Party for nearly 200 of our Shattuck-St. Mary’s family. Every year, this event is held at the Minneapolis Club and alums from all over Minnesota join us. This year, however, we celebrated on Zoom, which allowed alumni, parents of current students, and past members of our faculty and staff to participate no matter where they are in the country or the world. We had representatives from 32 states and 7 countries, and we had 51 people who had never before attended a Shattuck-St. Mary’s event! That made for a great celebration and provided an opportunity for some exciting and diverse breakout rooms. The highlight of the evening was definitely the “Joy to the World” singalong concluding the evening.

It is easy to get caught up thinking about how COVID-19 is making things more challenging, how it is disrupting plans, how it forces us to be more isolated. Last night was yet another reminder that there are opportunities and advantages. Instead of challenges, we should think more about openings to stretch ourselves. Instead of lamenting disrupted plans, we should focus on the innovations that are borne of this disruption. Instead of focusing on the isolation of physical distancing, we should look to the ways we can continue to foster connections.

It may not always be easy to keep a growth mindset, but it not only feels good to focus on the positive, it trains us to look for opportunities to do things better. And that’s something we should continue to strive for.

Stay healthy and safe,