This week, a joyful array of inflatables began a happy holiday parade across the green on the Merle-Smith Campus. Thank you to the Family Association for helping us to celebrate all the ways we holiday!

This is the season of light. In the darkest time of year (at least for the northern hemisphere), we bring balance to the world through Diwali diyas, Hanukkah menorahs, Advent wreaths, Christmas lights, Kwanzaa candles, and lanterns for the Lunar New Year, just to name a few. Our first graders on the Historic Downtown Campus dress as Star Boys and Santa Lucia, wearing candles and stars on their heads as they deliver treats for St. Lucia Day. On Thursday, December 7, Central Moravian Church glowed with the light of a thousand small candles, as music filled the air during our traditional Christmas Vespers Service. On the Swain Campus, students are teaching one another about the holidays they celebrate, sharing their culture and traditions for others to explore and enjoy.

Also this week, the Class of 2027 embarked on the annual Freshmen Field Trip to visit houses of worship across the Lehigh Valley, including an Islamic Mosque, Hindu Temple, Quaker Meeting House, and Greek Orthodox Cathedral. This exploration connects directly to the ninth grade History curriculum, where students study civilization through a variety of lenses, including religion. The full day’s journey is a unique opportunity to engage our community, to learn from our neighbors, and to consider the threads that connect us. One of our Muslim neighbors shared this year how meaningful our visit is for them. Our students bring their curiosity and wonder, as opposed to the intolerance and bigotry that seem to simmer around us. In this season of hope and love, it is especially heartbreaking how many worshiping communities in the Lehigh Valley have received hate mail and have resorted to hiring security guards for worship services. And how beautiful it is that our students can be Architects of Belonging, even beyond our three campuses.

Still this week, when we learned about Hanukkah in Lower School Chapel, I explained the religious intolerance that led to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, centuries ago, and the bravery of the Maccabee family as they stood up against this injustice. For many Jewish families today, it can still feel like a courageous act to place a Menorah in a street-facing window, confronting antisemitism once candle at a time. Our students’ eyes grew wide when they heard this story. Why would anyone destroy someone else’s Temple? They don’t know much yet about the intolerance that plagues our world; that destroys lives and homes and places of worship; that divides communities (sometimes, even our community).

In fact, many of the holidays we celebrate so joyfully in this season grow out of a story of suffering and oppression. As human beings, we remain a work in progress. At Moravian Academy, we remain committed to doing this important work. Let us be the light the world needs.

Whether your family chants “Shanti, Shanti”, prays “Baruch atah Adonai”, or sings of a “Silent Night”, your notes are essential to the beautiful harmony of our community song. Sing loud and sing proud and sing with joy. Dance like the inflatable snowman that makes me giggle every time I walk by it. And invite someone else to dance along! Happy Diwali. Happy Hannukkah. Merry Christmas. Happy Kwanzaa. Happy New Year.