When Helen Can't Sleep...

Today we got an email from our Assistant Director. It was refreshing to get a new take on all of these Cassidy shenanigans, so I thought I'd share. The subject line was "When I Can't Sleep, This Is What You Get."

I present Helen.

To Crystal and Jesse, who made it all possible...

A crappy day and a random meeting... some unknown force in the universe brought us all together on that particular day. And lo, I am reborn into a new and better world.

The People

It started as a casual meeting through a mutual (albeit totally crazy) friend, just to pick my brain. From the minute I met Crystal it was evident that here was a force to be reckoned with. She had a relaxed and sweet facade, but five minutes into the conversation, it became immediately clear that under the surface was a determined, practical and intensely serious woman. The topic at hand was the opening of a brand new preschool on the Westside, a dream of hers, and many years in the making. It was also, to say the least, a very involved and complicated endeavor. This was her baby, but she also knew that by consulting with the myriad of people in the community, she would be privy to an endless source of help and information. Her excitement was immediately contagious. It seemed that no stone was left unturned. Crystal had visited every school possible and gathered the best ideas from each. My heart was racing at the very possibility of being part of what was sure to an amazing (not to mention much needed) new school - Cassidy.

Then what can only be described as scene out of I Dream of Jeanie, a blink of the eyes, a nod of the head, and week later Crystal came back, this time with her husband Jesse. He was introduced as "the business side". Much more reserved than Crystal at our first meeting; he seemed in many ways to be her opposite. He was a quiet observer and for me unnervingly impossible to read. I was convinced that if the room grew quiet, I would be able to hear the wheels turning in his head. A few meetings later I caught on to how really warm and funny he was, I just couldn’t always tell when he was joking with me.

The Building

My excitement continued to grow after visiting the building. Even though little more than a gutted structure, all the potential of a school with big beautiful classrooms was evident. Together Crystal and Jesse painted a picture of where everything was to be. Ideas and plans kept flowing for both the interior and exterior. Unquestionably, this wasn’t just a dream, this was real and it was going to be great.

The Staff

I was invited to sit in on the teacher interviews. Crystal dealt with the daunting task of weeding out all the nannies and people wanting to "try" teaching. Five Saturdays later an awesome staff was assembled. The chosen teachers came from far and wide, were varied in age and background, but all shared in the excitement of teaching in a brand new school with infinite possibilities. We took a weekend art class together, we bonded, good God, this is really happening!

The Parents

Next came an evening with all the preschool parents - my head was reeling with new names and faces. Some seventy-five people assembled in my backyard for a “Meet & Greet”. Seventy-five smiling, happy and excited parents all eager to meet the other parents whose children would also be attending Cassidy. The buzz in the air never once stopped. My heart warmed by the sound of the “ahhs” sung in unison at the showing of the beautiful slide show of all the children.

This is when it dawned on me…I had met Crystal and Jesse, toured the building, bonded with the teachers, met 75 eager new parents, but I had not met one single child. Well there it is then, exactly as it should be. The best should be saved for last.

-Helen