Cathedral Grove

  • Head's Note
Cathedral Grove
Tobin Bechtel

In Muir Woods there is a wonderful place of peace called Cathedral Grove. Ancient redwood trees are natural columns and spires that reach higher, and have been around longer than most manmade cathedrals. Their majesty embodies strength and flexibility. They are true gentle giants that are harmonious with their environment. 

This grove inspires me and I try to keep in mind these qualities as we move forward into our school year. We need to be strong yet flexible. We need to work with our environment to create the space for safe and successful learning. We need to be purposeful and mindful to provide calm and kindness for reflective and critical thinking. 

Cathedral Grove also has historical significance as a place diplomats from around the world came to recognize the role of Franklin D. Roosevelt in laying the foundations for a United Nations.  In naming the grove in preparation for the ceremony, one of FDR’s aides felt that, “here in such a ‘temple of peace’ the delegates would gain a perspective and sense of time that could be obtained nowhere in America better than in a forest. Muir Woods is a cathedral, the pillars of which have stood through much of recorded human history.”

As the grove is a symbol of FDR’s ideals, so it also is a model for wider values. My hope is that our own Sage Ridge pillars create a grove to support our students while they learn with us and will also sustain them far into the future. Please join me in thanking all our faculty and staff for their dedicated effort to have a successful start and to create a grove, a safe place, for learning to continue and thrive.

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