I am thrilled and deeply honored to be joining CJHS as Head of School. What you as a community have built in just seven years is truly inspirational, and I come on board with a sense of awe at all that has been accomplished in that time. I arrive at a pivotal moment in the history of the school's development. With its move into a splendid new facility a year ago at this time, CJHS is poised for growth as it moves beyond the era of its founding and begins to realize the full potential of its physical space and of the community it serves. I look forward to working in partnership with you as, together, we meet the challenge of building upon the success of its first seven years.
 
On a more personal note, I am delighted to be returning to the Chicago area, my birthplace and home for many years, and to Jewish day school education, which has been my professional calling during much of that time. It is my firm belief that Jewish day schools provide the best of all worlds for Jewish students - cultivating Jewish literacy and identity while also preparing students to meet the challenges of the secular world. But most important, Jewish day schools nurture a sense of caring, compassion and commitment to working for a better world. During one of my recent visits to CJHS, I had a chance to meet with several students and recent graduates. When I asked them what they most value about their experience at CJHS, they spoke about the warm and nurturing environment of the school, and about how well the teachers know their students and how much they care for them. These experiences, framed by Jewish values and traditions, inform students' moral and social development profoundly and inspire them, in the words of the school's mission statement, "to achieve their full potential, while preparing them to live Judaism as responsible and involved citizens in the modern world."
 
I look forward to meeting soon.
 
B'Shalom,
 
Tony Frank