Table of Contents
Ethical Summers

Emily Newman
Dialogue Editor

Summer is finally here again and that means school is out, vacations are being taken, the sun is up, and the water is beckoning. While most Societies are taking a well-deserved break from Platforms and children’s programming, many have found creative ways to celebrate the season with the community. Pool parties, barbecues, and picnics are being organized by gracious hosts. Special musical performances and guest lectures are being presented in meeting spaces. Movie screenings, book clubs, writing groups, colloquies, and coffeehouses are continuing to gather each month (check with individual Societies for specific dates and times). For those who have already left town but want to stay connected, Societies are updating their websites and sending email blasts about recent platforms, information for next fall, and updates on important issues.

To keep children engaged in Ethical Culture during the break, Lynn Konnerth, Director of Sunday School for Ethics at the Northern Virginia Ethical Society, is continuing NoVES’s secret pal program which has been a tradition for over a decade. Each child is matched with an adult in the society who commits to writing at least three times during the summer (this year they will try to add a pen pal element to the program where the child and adult write back and forth to each other). Adults are encouraged to send postcards from travels, a thought to ponder, an interesting photo, or a suggestion for a book, activity, or snack. One pair was first secret pals, and then several years later they were happily matched in the mentor program for teens.

Whatever you and your Society are doing this summer, we hope you have an excellent (and ethical) time. And remember to wear sunscreen.