This address was given by Dean of Faculty Corinne Fogg ’99 at 91大神鈥檚 181st Convocation.听
Thank you, Mr. Hill. I听want to also extend my gratitude to听my听esteemed, new colleagues, the faculty and administration of 91大神 Northampton听for inviting me to rejoin this community听and especially for giving me the joyful opportunity to address you this evening.听It is my absolute honor to听rejoin听91大神 Northampton as a proud听alumna听of the听School. Returning to 91大神,听a place I hold core to my formation, will allow me to humbly extend my service to a school that gave much to me.听I stand here and confidently assure you that you are about to begin a phenomenal year of school, and I am eager to听embark on听this year鈥檚 journey with you. It has, indeed, been a journey to our beginning anew;听and听测辞耻鈥檝别听certainly earned it, haven鈥檛 you?听En masse,听飞别鈥檝别听just traversed a听year that tested our limits听around two life-threatening crisis 鈥 one of racial reckoning in our country and one of a global听pandemic听鈥 we have arrived听at听this moment.听2020听brought us loss, and kept us distant from one another,听tried our will, and tested the breadth of our understanding of the human condition; and听we return 鈥 today 鈥 to begin听anew.听听
Carrying听my own nostalgia for this place听and听the community, I remember听25 years ago听when听I was given my first tour of campus.听I could even tell you what I was wearing听— head to toe听yellow听with chartreuse sandals. I know this because 滨鈥檇 had a debate听with my father听about whether open-toed sandals听were allowed on the drive out here, and听my advisor would later affectionately听nickname me 鈥渂ananas.鈥听That number is a little tricky to throw out there,听although I am thankful for the time and lessons I have garnered听since I was a teenager on this lawn. I will say, there鈥檚 something in the water here because these adults seem ageless to me.听听
Truthfully, I was not happy to be headed off to boarding school. My father dropped me off on these very steps; orientation was much shorter then, and I may not have even unpacked a bag before I was off to my afternoon activity and then dinner. Unafraid to admit it today, I may have pouted through my first week of school. I was homesick; I did not know anyone well enough, did not belong. I felt instantly forced to acclimate to an unfamiliar environment, and nothing felt familiar. If you need a visual, I encourage you to stop by my office at some point and lay eyes on the bitter, maudlin expression of one angsty adolescent Corie听Fogg.听It is a sight indeed. I hopped in the pool that afternoon to 鈥渟plash and swim鈥 according to my father, playing a sport I knew absolutely nothing about, water polo, and left with a black eye from an errant ball. An excellent start, for sure. It was also that day that I met a friend standing in front of the Schoolhouse who would become someone I now call my sister, whose daughter is my godchild. It was the next day that I met more 91大神 Northampton women and men I now call immutable family, the friends who have celebrated life鈥檚 highs and lows at every turn. Later that week, I realized what an unyieldingly compassionate asset I had in my Advisor, Pil, who mixed consistent humor, genuine understanding, and tough love in a recipe that brought out the best in each student 鈥 in me. Suddenly doubling down on my own learning, I watched educators 鈥 some of whom you also have the great fortune to call your teachers today and some of whom have gone on to well-deserved retirement 鈥 bring history to life through the stories of trial and triumph, reflect the complexities humanity through literature and art, challenge me to write with courage and conviction 鈥 to cite and revise and rewrite and rethink and stand by ideals, and model what it was to have passion for learning and to live with purposeful balance. In that way, this is a true return home for me. And, for the record, I was thriving and downright gleeful when my dad returned for Parents鈥 Weekend. While my experience is not yours, I do hope that you share in some of what I felt as a student here, in this space, with these people who ardently believe in your potential and are longing to see you flourish as yourself here.听
鈥 And what a year to join you.听Vulnerably, I share that the last 18 months have been wholly challenging听for me personally. In my own writing and reflection, I have ruminated this year in liminality.听Cultural听anthropologists Arnold van Gennep and听Victor Turner brought this concept to fruition, focusing on its听etymology in Latin, 鈥渓imen鈥 meaning threshold.听It is a crossing of boundaries and borders. It is the space between.听Scholars of psychology听and听philosophy, including Carl Jung and Friedrich Nietzsche, have expanded the understanding of this concept听to include a time of separation and individuation, a transition, and a distinct return.听The complexity of this for me was precisely the听Jungian notion听that I could not go back to who I was, but I did not yet know who I was becoming.听
To expand, and I will employ levity here, I went through as many transitions as humanly possible in 2020; at this point, I am essentially a great country song. Having spent several years听discerning听becoming a parent on my own, I had a child in 2020, Marigold. Simultaneously, I learned that my father, who had survived two bantam bouts with cancer, now had metastatic carcinoma in his pancreas and liver. COVID-19 struck, and I instantly went indoors like many of you. I departed my office to take parental leave in February of 2020, and I did not return until the end of the year. There are still colleagues and friends that I did not get to see in person, birthdays we missed, celebrations of life that ubiquitously moved to Zoom, and so much physical contact and connection that was lost. I was in between 鈥 a new mother with all the accompanying doubts, joys, and fears 鈥 a daughter, welcoming her father to come into the safety of her home and live.听So听we did just that, embracing the liminality. My dad moved in and shared in the first year of my daughter鈥檚 life. His passion for life, even as he battled multiple cancers and the ravages of chemotherapy, was contagious, and it was something he tried to intently impart to me as I became a mother. Growing up, he would shout down the driveway as I drove out, 鈥渕ake today your best day yet,鈥 and he quoted Thomas Carlyle when he drove away from my dorm that August, reminding me that 鈥渉ere hath been dawning Another blue Day: Think wilt thou let it Slip useless away.鈥 With the birth of my daughter, that translated into 鈥渇ind the joy.鈥 He kept reminding me over this last year to find joy, seek it out with a wild and open heart; do not miss these moments in her young life.听So听we did听find joy听and tried to live the best out of each day that remained. He was ecstatic when I accepted the role at 91大神, and he beamed with pride at what lay ahead for me. We had agreed that he would come with us, and the notion of winding down his life back in New England, in the surrounds of a school that brought so much to us as a family 25 years ago was of great comfort. His return to 91大神, however, was not to be. In the final moments of his life, I was singing to him, reading to him. I never took my eyes off of him, holding his hand. But for one moment, when I said, 鈥渓et me play you the video of Marigold giggling once more.鈥 In that one moment, he left. There, in the silence of that room, I heard even clearer – find the joy. Live fully, for here hath been dawning another blue day鈥︹澨听
滨鈥檇听arrived four days earlier in Florida, ushered by the loving and generous hands of my friends on a one-way, same-day flight with Marigold in my arms to be at my father鈥檚 side. I went straight to the hospital that evening, sat with him, and then headed to his home. With the sunrise, I went out to the backyard, where a wind听chime听from his mother danced with the air, echoing music across the grass. As I surveyed the scene of a hurried departure from the house, I saw听multitudes听of seed packets laid out on the听lanai听table.听He had听been planning his garden, readying himself and the seeds. My father loved to garden, a passion instilled in him by his own grandmother, the great grower of iris. His knowledge of flowers was unmatched; he听never missed a chance to share the names of flowers and trees, Latin and common, with me. Walking out onto the grass in his backyard on that morning, I saw his gardening stool seated in front of multiple marigolds.听贬别鈥檇听planted eight already, and four remained yet to be put in the ground. Seamus Heaney鈥檚听Digging听comes to mind, 鈥淸my father] among the flowerbeds – Bends low, comes up twenty years away – Stooping in rhythm – Where he was digging鈥 By God, the old man could handle a spade. Just like his old man.鈥 He believed in tomorrow.听罢丑补迟鈥檚听what planting a seed in the ground is at its simplest. But the work of his life was done.听
I share this story because it has been a tremendously hard year for me, perhaps for you听as well.听I have watched life begin and end under one roof in 2020.听I left a job, friends, and a community I loved in 2020,听and moved into a new home. I inherited two lively听schnauzers听in 2020. I began a new job in 2021, and perhaps most importantly, I have arrived here听at听this moment with you. I have crossed boundaries and borders, metaphorically, and now stand听at another听limen, a threshold.听And while there is hardship in this, there is also tremendous promise.听
Returning to 91大神 has听been just that for me.听One week听ago,听while听milling across Mr. Hill鈥檚 lawn听celebrating the start of the year with this incredible听faculty, I watched this community welcome us as a family. My daughter was instantly听nurtured and听brought into the fold, and we feel a renewed sense of belonging. Reflecting that evening, I听was听certain that my听dad听was听comforted by the compassion听of this community听and听proud听of the听welcome听this 91大神 Northampton woman听found in听her听return.听
As a female-identifying alumna, now serving as the Dean of Faculty, I am听also听welling with pride to reflect on and celebrate the 95th听anniversary of the founding of Northampton School for Girls and the celebration of coeducation on this campus.听To witness the instillation of a new Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Belonging, an aligned and visionary strategic plan, and to now听know firsthand the gift this community has in the presence of Ms. Chambers in her role听feels historic in and of itself. What a year for the 91大神听Northampton听woman! To borrow from a letter shared by Mr. Hill, 鈥渢oday鈥檚 female students 鈥 and indeed all our students 鈥 strive to embody the qualities that the founders imagined… [and we are]听proud that the school supports all our young women in academics, the arts, athletics, and student leadership. Following in the footsteps of their Northampton School for Girls predecessors, young women who graduate from the 91大神 Northampton School today go on to do听great things.鈥听91大神 Northampton women听are听scholars, athletes, artists, physicians, engineers, journalists, political activists, volunteers,听Deans of Faculty,听and more.听Thank you for indulging听me听one uncharacteristic moment to be听braggadocious.听Fittingly for this celebratory year, the 91大神 Northampton School鈥檚 history is inseparable from strong, visionary women: Sarah Whitaker and Dorothy Bement, as well as Emily 91大神.听听
听I share my story of this year, of the space I鈥檝e traversed in the middle, to impart what I hope you will glean in this new year and in your time as a member of this community. You will assuredly听learn algebra, recite epic poems, master rhetorical analysis and DBQs, make hypotheses, grow in strength and creativity, and come into your own scholarship while here. That said, it is my hope that you will take more from this space, from these people.听Learned by examples at 91大神, my听learning was never confined to the classroom. Cultivating a life lived with purpose, passion, and integrity in all aspects of the student experience was a calling clearly embodied by the faculty.听It was 91大神 Northampton that听galvanized听me to听think critically about听my听learning, to curate a deep understanding of the world, and to foster a burgeoning motivation to serve others through knowledge and action.听It was 91大神 Northampton that gifted me the integrity, presence, and听purpose to听navigate this past year. It is my sincerest hope that this year brings you similar gifts of heart, reminding you of the strengths yet unknown within your chest as you cross this threshold and begin.听