Ever positive and affirming, Carol always “found the pony,” and she always was able to take those sour lemons and turn them into lemonade! She welcomed challenges and was constantly learning and growing. During her sabbatical year Carol traveled to China alone, making videos and taking photos that she would later use to bring the Lower School Asian Studies Program alive for her students. As we simulated a flight to Beijing during the first weeks of school, Carol donned her pilot’s hat, explaining to rapt fourth graders at what altitude we would be flying and what to do in case of airsickness!

Carol gave herself completely to her students and to the school. She headed up and served on countless committees, was always helpful, worked with humor and grace, and was ever able to see both sides of an issue. By opening her home for dinners, she brought Middle and Lower School teachers together. Carol was always eager to experiment with new ideas - just how could her students best understand those new math concepts?

Yet, after her extraordinarily busy school day, Carol still found time for life. She tackled French lessons; she mastered vocabulary words in her car at stoplights on the way to school; she again took up the piano. And Carol sang in the Washington Chorus for thirty-five years, touring Europe in the summers. (Carol, how we miss your beautiful voice). During busy concert series times, she attended rehearsals until ten p.m. four nights a week. Yes, Carol did it all!

So what is Carol doing now that she has retired? Is there life after Sidwell? Yes, there most certainly is. Up early each morning, Carol enjoys two leisurely cups of coffee with The New York Times and The Washington Post. She delights in now being able to read beyond the headlines. Carol exercises each day and she will now at last be able to organize all those wonderful travel photos. Finally she has time to read all those books that have piled up on her bedside table, among them, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and poems by Billy Collins. She can take her time practicing the piano, “going beyond the notes,” working on phrasing and voicing, playing her beloved Bach for an hour each day. Carol will also attempt to master Spanish, a new language. But wait, she says that she might once again be able to enjoy cooking now that she has a bit more time and energy at 6:00 p.m. Most importantly, Carol will have time to spend with her beloved grandchildren, Ariana, 22 months; Choloe, 10; and Alex 8. Her sons Ezra and Adam (both Sidwell alums) couldn’t be more pleased! Carol also plans to spend time with her father and with Don, her busy husband, who travels the United States and the world for his job.

Her latest adventures began this past summer when Carol and her family confronted a very large and hungry bear, fishing for salmon in a remote part of Alaska. Luckily, their floatplane pilot knew just what to do. Saved from the bear, there are now fifty-two pounds of salmon waiting in the freezer!

Currently, Carol is exploring the winding streets and bazaars of Morocco in search of treasures and more photos. She says she yearns to visit Egypt and Africa and she plans to visit a museum every week. She invites all her friends and colleagues to have coffee and conversation with her any day after school. More importantly, she wants to be sure do something for other people. As she says, there is “so much that needs to be done.”

Reflecting on her busy schedule Carol concluded, “One of the best things about retiring is not having to be accountable to everyone for everything on a daily basis.” We think that Carol will always be accountable, always learning, changing, and engaged! Yes, Carol, there is life after SFS and you most certainly are very, very, much alive! We can count on you to show us all how to enjoy life after SFS, how to live it, how to make the most of it! We thank you and we miss you.