Many fairy tale stories begin, “There was once a time.” When was there not a time? When thinking of Hartsbrook’s story there barely seems a time when Louise Spear was not an essential and steady presence. When we began considering a governance shift a few years ago, we recognized that her position would require two people to fill the role she had handled on her own. There was some quaking in our boots as we tried to imagine how to transition her heavy workload, her incredible command of the all the details of the inner activity of the school, and her considerable institutional memory. Louise has held steady with support as she graciously lent her strength to support the evolution of the new governance forms. All the while, Louise has shared her love of knitting and crafts with both the students and parents. There were many moments in her full meeting schedule when she impressively managed to stay engaged in administrative meetings while she corrected student knitting mistakes so she would be ready to teach her next class. With Louise’s retirement, next year we will be experiencing moments of sighing and noting there was once a time that our dear Louise came to school on her bicycle, guided the knitting of hundreds of socks, and managed countless hours of meetings and critical administrative tasks. We celebrate Louise’s myriad of accomplishments since she became part of the school first as a parent in 1985, then as a teacher soon after. Louise, we wish you a splendid retirement! Love from the Faculty and Staff of the Hartsbrook School From Louise Spear Dear Friends, I first came to the school as a young mother as my children entered some of the early classes of the school. The school was a small community then and I was soon volunteering in the School Store, the Holiday Fair and as a handwork assistant. A few years later, I became the handwork teacher for the upper grades and also became involved in many other areas of school life. I served as Faculty Chair for several terms when it was still possible to combine this position with full-time teaching. When the increasing complexity of the school necessitated a change to a full-time Faculty Chair role, I was honored to serve in this position from 2010 – 2017, when we changed to our current leadership model of a Pedagogical Chair and an Administrative Chair. In the last few years, I have had more time to pursue some long-time interests such as gardening and biking, as well as spending more time at our little cottage in Rhode Island where I volunteer in a community garden, kayak, swim, fish, do yoga and generally enjoy a relaxed beach lifestyle! Last fall, my first grandchild was born so I also look forward to spending more time with family and friends. Through all these years, I have valued getting to know students, families and other members of the Hartsbrook community and I have learned so much from all of you. As I transition to this next phase of my life, I know that I will no longer be working so actively at the school, but will continue to carry the Hartsbrook School and the school community in my heart. With love, Louise Spear