Dear CDS Families,
At the beginning of this year, I was walking out of school one afternoon and our long-time gardener, Don Franklin, asked me if I had a moment to speak. I was in a desperate rush but stopped to speak with him. At that point, Don Franklin started to take me on a tour around the campus, pointing out all of the flowers and plants he had planted over the years here at CDS. Each one had a story. Knowing that he would soon retire, he wanted to share the story of his garden with me, so that someone else could see CDS as he had all these years.
The tall flowers by the library that were brought here by one of our security guards, “Pena,” who has since passed away. Ms. Cubero’s tree that she planted with her students now sits as a remembrance of her legacy. Former middle school principal Dr. Nolan’s fruit trees that she and Franklin smuggled onto campus after hours to plant in the middle school that are now giving cas and limones, and even the plants that he admitted he planted when he was asked not to, he responded, “Es que tengo una enfermedad - tengo que sembrar siempre!” Don Franklin did not just see our amazing campus as an immaculate garden, he saw it as a story of all the people who have come and gone and who have contributed something beautiful to its legacy.
Now, when I walk through campus, I see Don Franklin’s Garden with wide eyes, knowing that everything here has been placed here with intention and purpose and has a unique story to it. Our community is our strength, and when we take the time to get to know one another the true beauty of CDS is revealed.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead and look forward to seeing you in Don Franklin’s Garden next week.
Best,
Jack Young
Director
