Happy New Year! I hope 2012 is off to a strong start and that you'll enjoy much health and happiness through the year.

For Burgundy, January is one of the busiest times of the year, full of new developments. Our faculty and students return from winter break, bringing new energy and excitement to the second semester. We had our final open house of the year and will begin in full earnest the official admission process. Parent volunteers work with faculty and students to prepare for the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, and with the advancement office to prepare for the Auction. 

We hope you'll celebrate this time of growth and renewal with us by participating in some of these events. If you'd like to participate in our Martin Luther King Day of Service, an annual event through which we will complete more than 20 projects on campus to support roughly 15 non-profit organizations, on January 16 (9:30 to 11:30 a.m.), we invite you to register you and your family here. This is a great opportunity to return to campus, reconnect with faculty and friends, and model your commitment to community service.  If you can't make it to campus from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on January 16 but would still like to support this event, please feel free to drop off non-perishable food items at Burgundy's Main Office this week. We will donate all food to ALIVE! 

We also hope those of you 21 and older will mark your calendars for March 3, 2012, and plan to join us for our 30th Annual Auction. This year's theme is Connections: Celebrating the Imprints Burgundy Leaves in Our Hearts, which honors the many generations of families who have served and been served by Burgundy. In recognition of the 30th annual event, the school's primary fundraiser for financial aid, we're hopeful that record numbers of alumni, alumni parents, former faculty and staff members, and special friends will join in our celebration. Ways to support our Auction include attending (and enjoying the delicious food and fun atmosphere!), bidding on items (more information to come about our online auction, for those of you who can't attend the live event), donating items to the auction, purchasing a catalog advertisement, or making a financial contribution either to cover some of the auction expenses or go directly toward financial aid. You'll receive an email invitation in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you'd like to get involved, please email Erin Futrowsky (erinf@burgundyfarm.org). 

Last, and perhaps most important, we hope that like our students, you have begun the New Year with hope and curiosity, and the insatiable desire to pursue your passions.