What’s Happening at Bement
January has arrived at Bement, which means upper school students get to enjoy winter adventures on Friday afternoons. Most students make the trip up to Charlemont to hit the slopes at Berkshire East, and as the buses fill with students, a truck full of skis, snowboards, and poles leads the way. Sometimes on Wednesdays and sometimes on Fridays throughout the decades, skiing has long been a memorable part of the Bement Upper School experience. As times have evolved, Bement has added additional afternoon options: rock climbing in Hadley, figure skating in Amherst, and circus arts in Vermont. As we celebrate Bement’s Centennial in 2025, please share your pictures from past winter adventures at Bement!
What I’m Reading, and/or Watching, and/or Listening To
My wife and I just watched a new limited series by Peter Berg (creator of one of our favorite series, Friday Night Lights). American Primeval chronicles a few days in the Utah Territory in 1857, with the so-called “Utah War” as the backdrop. Based on real events that pitted federal troops against Mormon settlers in a battle over the land & laws of the western frontier, American Primeval reminded me of one of my favorite western novels, Riders of the Purple Sage. Be warned – American Primeval is violent, but if you are interested in the American west and this little-known chapter in the larger epic of westward expansion, it is worth a watch.
What Else Is on My Mind
In addition to celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this week, Americans will also mark the inauguration of Donald Trump as America’s 47th president. After a divisive and expensive election, the period between Election Day and Inauguration Day were relatively quiet and peaceful, but the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles that began 2025 shook the United States awake to the need for unity, leadership, and compassion. Like the wildfires that swept across southern California, world events will move quickly and unpredictably in 2025. In rising to meet those challenges, I hope America’s leaders–elected or otherwise–will foreground the same values we work to inculcate in young people at Bement: compassion, integrity, resilience, and respect.
Poetry Corner
On Friday the 17th I shared a poem with the Bement community from one of my favorite poets, Rita Dove. Dove was the first African American appointed Poet Laureate of the United States, as well as the youngest person to hold that position when she did, from 1993 to 1995.
No bright toy
this world we’ve left you.
Even the wrapping
is torn, the ribbons
grease-flecked and askew.
Still, it’s all we have.
Wait a moment before
you pick it up. Study
its scratches, how it
shines in places. Now
love what you touch,
and you will touch wisely.
May the world, in your hands,
brighten with use. May you
sleep in sweet breath and
rise always in wonder
to mountain and forest,
green gaze and silk cheek–
dear Sophie,
littlest phoenix.