I hope this finds you well and enjoying the holiday break week with family and friends. I really love Thanksgiving and hope you will join me in finding time to appreciate the abundance we enjoy and also to reflect on how God calls us to use our gifts and be good stewards of our blessings.
It is in that spirit that I am writing to let you know about two exciting new developments that you can look forward to when we return from the break.
1. COVID Vaccine Clinic: First, we are pleased to announce that we will offer a free COVID vaccine (Pfzer) clinic at EDS during school hours on December 9 for any children aged 5 and up whose parents want them to receive it. As we know, the vaccine is the most effective of all the measures available to us to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading COVID19, and we’re grateful to Nurse Golden, who has been working over the past several weeks to secure the resources to provide this opportunity.
So that we can plan for appropriate inventory and logistics, please participate in this short, two-question survey indicating the likelihood of your family’s participation (non-binding). Once we collect the results, we will be able to plan the clinic and send you more details, including a schedule so you can be here with your child at the time, if you wish.
2. Field of Dreams: We are also thrilled to announce an exciting addition to our Flowing Wells Campus. Thanks to a unique partnership, next week we will begin the installation of a baseball facility on the Auxiliary Field (just above the Inquiry Studio), and it will be ready for play this spring!
There are too many design features to adequately describe them all in this email, but some of the most unique are these:
The entire infield will be artificial turf with a portable pitcher’s mound, allowing us to accommodate both middle and high school games.
Like Morris Field, the turf infill will be natural materials rather than crumb rubber.
Most of the outfield will consist of the existing sod, thereby allowing us to play this spring without having to wait for new grass to come in.
The unique field and fencing design will allow us to continue to preserve field space for soccer, football, etc.
The border walls, dugouts, and batting cage will be constructed to harmonize with the existing design and material features on the campus.
We believe, upon completion, this will be one of the premier baseball facilities in the region and certainly one of the most scenic. A baseball field in this location has been part of the campus master plan since it was approved by the Board of Trustees in 2016, and we have been working for several months to bring this vision to fruition with Drive Baseball, a new local organization owned and operated by Chris Verdery, dedicated to promoting and supporting youth baseball in our area. Drive Baseball is providing the construction funding in exchange for a long-term usage agreement that accommodates the needs of both organizations (EDS and Drive). This is precisely the kind of win-win partnership that we envisioned when we first developed plans for the Flowing Wells Campus.
Construction will begin as soon as this week! We are working with the contractors to minimize any disruption to our normal activities on that campus and will update you (especially Nature School families) as soon as we have finalized the logistics. We have attached a drone photo and a survey drawing to give you a little more insight into the project. We can’t wait until you can see the finished project in just a few months.
Until we are back together again next week, best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful Thanksgiving.
