Author: matt.kelemen

For the record, this is not a ChatGPT annual letter. We’re still a year or two from that… For now, what you get is what our own brains are able to reproduce, along with lots of love and our hope that you have a meaningful 2023.

We usually get our annual greetings out by MLK’s birthday, but this year it’s President’s Day! As has become our tradition, here are our updates… 

Jeannette

Many of my 2022 highlights are notable visits and trips, but also include the simple joys of my day to day. The year kicked off with a joyful reunion when two friends from Chile came for a two-week stay and got the full Jeannette-as-non-stop-tour-guide treatment. March travel to the east coast included great work with D.C. Public Schools and an in-person celebration of my dad’s 80th birthday. And Dylan’s college spring break visit home allowed us to hit the slopes and cycle the Bay. We kicked-off Adela’s college campus tour series with a trip to the Pacific Northwest in May, and Matt’s and my long-deferred birthday trip to Montreal for his 50th was a fabulous get-away with precious in-person reconnections. After I completed a successful engagement with nearly 20 schools in Rhode Island in July, we met up with my parents and brother’s family for a fabulous trip to France. We enjoyed so many wonderful aspects of French culture while we explored different parts of the county: amazing food, exciting sport, rich history (from the Lascaux caves to the Versailles Palace), exquisite art, impressive architecture, and stunning natural beauty.  

But without question, the most impactful part of the trip for me was connecting with the places of my ancestors. It was really something to put my feet on soil where Héberts had lived centuries ago before they left for Nova Scotia. And seeing my dad walk up to the site where Jacques Nompar de Caumont lived centuries ago as the Duc de La Force — an ancestor who fought his last battle at age 80 and died at 93 on the same day Matt was born 318 years later. It’s interesting (and mind-boggling) to contemplate ways that our ancestors navigated natural, cultural, political and economic forces: surviving plagues of several centuries as we continue to cope with COVID, suffering persecution for religious beliefs as we see the vital separation of church and state weaken in our own country; surviving both civil war and international conflicts, economic depression, and no doubt personal grief. Despite these immense hardships, they held onto their faith and dreams.

Throughout the year, witnessing Dylan and Adela do the things they love to do was particularly exciting: Adela and her high school Mock Trial team made it to the state final (via Zoom), and she continued to sing as part of her school’s vocal department and the San Francisco Girls Chorus premiere ensemble. Through both, she contributed to an amazing set of performances that included multiple school concerts, two shows at SFJazz, a summer trip to Hawaii, and a happy return to the SFGC annual holiday concert at Davies Symphony Hall. 

Matt and I got to see Dylan in his element over the Williams College Family Weekend in October, and again with extended family at Roanoke College when he and his team made it to the NCAA Division III soccer championship game in December. We could not be more proud of how much he and his teammates achieved during the season. Go Ephs!  

We spent the holidays out east with family and returned to San Francisco to ring in the new year with delicious food and dear friends. I’m so grateful for my precious time with friends and family, for the great books I’ve read and discussed with friends, for my Bethany community, contemplative moments soaking up Nature’s beauty, for having meaningful work, and the gift of continuous opportunities to learn and grow. I mourn the loss of valued elders in both my given and chosen families, but find so much to celebrate from the lives they led: JoAnn Bennett, Bruce Petit, Sam Yu, Uncle Bob, Aunt Joyce, Uncle Bill, and Uncle Roy. 

Matt

Jeannette already covered a lot of ground on our comings and goings. I’ll double down on how good it was to travel again this year. To Montreal for quality time with Maurice and his adult humans (Jason and Emily). To the northeast with Adela for a barnstorming review of the full slate of liberal arts colleges, with a wonderful quick visit with the Roth clan in Newburgh as a bonus to our itinerary. To Providence for a 30th college reunion and the chance to reconnect with friends and classmates. To the east coast to see Dylan on the pitch and to catch up with family. And, of course, to France. Ah, France. What better place to go after the enforced hold on travel that COVID imposed on us, especially when kind inlaws sponsor the trip!!! Thanks to Kary and Nanette, I have these wonderful memories: The glassiness of the river in the early morning in Bergerac. The majesty of Mont St. Michel. The surprise of yet another chateau popping up around the bend of a country road. The awesome sense of the long arc of human history you feel at Lascaux. The vibrancy of Bordeaux’s cobbled streets, a city that feels like a better-sized Paris to me. And, of course, the food.

But what I liked best was experiencing our children as adults, as we found ourselves in a society that affords some of the responsibilities of adulthood earlier in life than does our own country. It was a gift to hear Dylan’s stories of traveling alone in advance of our meeting up in Paris. It was quite a treat to see the two of them experience the particularly culinary joy of pairing food and wine — a mind-blowing thing when done well, which it very much was at L’Huitrier Pie in St. Emilion. I was especially pleased by their adventurous spirit, whether the courage to jump into the Dordogne River from a 60-foot cliff or the willingness to sample fois gras, sea snails, and other unfamiliar foods. I took real pleasure in watching them do a bit of adulting and deepen their relationship with one another.

On the work front, this year saw me re-engage as a full partner in Kelefors Education Partners. Jeannette and I are partnering with amazing organizations at home and across the country, working to create more equitable outcomes in our educational system. It’s been especially inspiring to launch a new project with the San Francisco Unified School District, supporting a citizens’ task force to examine our high schools.

Dylan

As a sophomore at Williams competing for the NCAA National championships through December 3rd, I didn’t have much time for anything else. Thus, in the spirit of efficiency — and because it gave me a good laugh — here is my 2022 update in resume format. I spent a fair portion of my winter polishing up my resume, conducting informational interviews, and applying for internships, and I am happy to share that I will be spending this summer working as a government affairs intern at K&L Gates in Washington D.C. 

EDUCATION:

Williams College (Sophomore Fall)

Aug 2022 – Dec 2022 Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Environmental Studies and History

As most liberal arts colleges advertise: “You have so much time to decide your major!” The time to decide is approaching quickly. While the official Williams deadline for declaring you major sits at the completion of your sophomore year, I have made my [un]official decision. This past semester, I had the opportunity to delve into both my interests in History and Environmental Studies, cementing my pursuit of this unconventional pair of majors. A few academic highlights I want to mention are:

— Researching and publishing an op-ed on cutting edge oil-spill removal technology for my Environmental Law course.

— Interviewing a professor in the History Department for a final project, exploring both the scope of his work and dissecting his methodology of both historical research and publication. By the way, his name is Professor Tyran Steward, an incredibly talented educator and scholar. If you have the time you should look him up.

Williams College (Freshman Spring)     Jan 2022 – May 2022

Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Environmental Studies and History

Coming back for my second semester of college, I was hoping to be greeted by a winter wonderland. Unfortunately, I quickly found out why we west coast skiers call it the ice coast. However, Jiminy Peak still provided some enjoyable ski days with friends when I wasn’t busy hitting the books. A few highlights from the spring were:

— Teaching friends to ski on the bunny hills at Jiminy Peak while showing off skiing backwards.

— Exploring the dance genre of flamenco and its origins in Andalucía, Spain.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

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Bill Jackson for Supervisor     May 2022 – July 2022

This summer I worked as a Campaign Coordinator for a local campaign. It was a great experience to hone my knowledge of local politics, and deepen my understanding of the current issues in San Francisco. Almost verbatim from my resume, here are some of the responsibilities I was tasked with: 

— Published campaign literature and weekly policy newsletters on local issues for a city council politician.

— Executed voter outreach, facilitated community interaction, and supervised campaign finances. 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: 

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Williams Men’s Soccer Formal       March 2022

A night where the team gathers together for a multiple-room themed venue, dressed to the nines, and ready for a party

Sunday Brunch         Every Week (2022)

Every week a group of my friends and I pile into 2 or 3 cars on Sunday morning to go be obnoxious and enjoy a leisurely brunch at one of the three diners in the area (Renee’s, Chef’s Hat, and Moonlight). Kary & Nanette (aka “Grandpa & Grandma”) and my parents got to experience this phenomenon when they made trips into the depths of the Purple Mountains.

SOCCER:

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Williams College Men’s Soccer     Aug 2022 – Dec 2022

This season was definitely one of ups and downs to say the least. After suffering a severe concussion a few weeks in, I was unsure whether I would play another game in 2022. Thankfully I made a full recovery and was able to come back to play in the end of the regular season, the NESCAC championship, and the NCAA tourney. Noteworthy highlights:

— Beating #1 ranked Messiah in Mechanicsburg, PA on penalties to advance to the Sweet 16.

— Finishing 2nd in the NESCAC after beating Middlebury on their own field.

I now wear a Q-Collar, a preventative technology that sits on your neck (the science is pretty cool).

TRAVEL: 

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“Le Tour de France” (…and Belgium… and the Netherlands)           July 2022

As was described by my parents, I too am grateful for the wonderful traveling we did as a family in France. Since it was mostly covered above, I am going to focus on a few highlights from the week I spent on my own in Europe prior to meeting up with family in Paris: 

— Touring the beer gardens of Brussels with Benjamin, eating Belgian waffles, and laughing at the Manneken Pis. 

— Taking a boat ride through the Amsterdam canals, making my grandma happy by visiting an art museum, 🙂 and meeting other travelers from around Europe.

— Watching the electric sprint finish of Stage 19 of the Tour de France in Cahors! 

Mechanicsburg, PA; Gambier, OH; & Roanoke, VA     Nov 2022 – Dec 2022

Since I already shared a bit about soccer in the previous section I will keep this short… 

I was really grateful to have both friends and family come watch my team play as we took unconventional flight paths and 8-hour long bus rides around the east coast and midwest on our quest for the National Championship. It was special both to see family and feel all the support (including my mother’s facebook comment section) for the team!

Adela

Anyone looking at my weekly schedule in 2022 might faint from exhaustion right on the spot. I spent 16+ hours in singing rehearsal, not including the time I practiced on my own. I spent six hours a week practicing Mock Trial, first as the defendant, Jamie Cobey, in our 21-22 season, and then as a prosecution pretrial lawyer in our 22-23 season. I spent an hour a week volunteering as a mentor/coach for young  singers through a program called One Voice Mentors that makes music lessons accessible to all. I get to school early Mon-Thurs to do additional classical chamber and jazz a cappella ensemble rehearsals. On Friday mornings, I wake up even earlier to go swimming at the nearby public pool for an hour. I spent four hours a week planning, organizing, and editing for the school newspaper. Oh, and then there’s homework — with at least an hour each night on math alone. “How did I do it all?” you may be asking? Beats me too, to be completely honest. This past year has been a complete blur. But all this hard work has allowed me to see and do so many incredible things.

My Mock Trial team placed 2nd in the California State Mock Trial competition, and I was nominated MVP in the State Final. I was so proud of how hard my team had worked and how far we made it in competition. Most of all, I was so grateful to be a part of a community that was so loving, supportive, and passionate.

I passed all my AP exams (whew!), which I took during the same week as  performing in an incredible musical work, “At War with Ourselves: 400 Years of You” with Kronos Quartet, Nikky Finney and Micheal Abels. This project opened my eyes to the power of music as a tool in the fight for social justice. This was just one of the 22 performances I took part in through both SFGC and school.  

I attended my final SFGC summer camp and performed in my final San Francisco Girls Holiday Concert. They were both bittersweet, filled with moments of joy, friendship, and reflection. It’s incredible to think that after my 11 years of being a chorister, this will be my final one. I couldn’t be more grateful for the exceptional group of people I get to sing with. They have taught me so much about myself, the world, and music. I couldn’t have asked for a better second family. 

I completed my junior year of high school and began the college application process by visiting nearly 30 schools! I learned a lot about myself and started to imagine a vision for my future, even if so much is unknown. 

I traveled to Hawai’i with my chorus where we performed multiple musical works and excerpts from a commissioned opera, and I even got to sing a traditional Filipino song, “Gabi at Araw,” on a local radio station. It was amazing to connect with the Filipino community in Hawaii and share music together. We had the opportunity to learn about the history of Filipino migration to Hawaii and California, and deepen our understanding of the commissioned opera, Tomorrow’s Memories that we will perform in full during the Summer of 2023. 

I founded a school newspaper to create a forum for student activism and art. (Go check it out at: https://rasotadailydragon.org). I’ve learned how to create, design, and maintain a website. I’ve learned how to manage a team of writers and content creators. The experience has been immensely rewarding, and I hope to leave behind a foundation for future generations of students at my school to build on. 

2022 was an extraordinary year filled with hard work, incredible experiences, and LOTS of music. I couldn’t be more thankful for the friends I made along the way and the lessons I learned that I will carry with me for all the years to come. 

Mojito 

Same old, same old for me. Sleep, eat, play. Repeat. And cry when those things don’t happen when I want them.

*****

In April of 2022, researchers found the wreck of Endurance, the ship that was crushed in the ice of Antarctica, forcing Ernest Shackleton and his crew into an epic land-and-sea journey to save their own lives. When Shackleton first set out to sail south and then cross the Antarctic continent on foot, he posted an ad for people to join him on his quest. It read, “Men Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.”

We find ourselves amidst many hazardous journeys these days. However this note finds you, we hope that this year brings you, if not honor and recognition, at least survival. Slava Ukraini.

Drop us a line when you have a moment — we’d love to connect, catch up, laugh, cheer and/or cry with you. 

2022 by the numbers

1 – Live Tour de France stage finish that Jeannette, Matt, Jean-Paul and Dylan traveled to see

2 – International visitors to Chez Kelefors in 2022

5 – Upsets that the Williams College Men’s Soccer Team pulled off to reach the NCAA Division 3 championship match

12 – Number of family members who made it to NCAA tournament games to cheer on Dylan and his fellow Ephs

27 – Difference between the number of college campuses Adela set foot on compared to Dylan before they submitted applications. (Dylan got to two before the world shut down with COVID.) 

50 – Number of Dead Poets Society Zoom calls that brought the Kelebosquims & Co clan together 

75 – Pounds of fresh-caught fish generously gifted to Chez Kelefors by Jean-Paul & Cole after their Alaska fishing trip with Dad/Grandpa and Uncle Tom!

80 – Milestone birthday for Jeannette’s Dad, Kary (aka “Grandpa”)

180 – Population of the town (La Chaussée) where we visited La Maison de l’Acadie to learn more about where our Hébert ancestors came from before they emigrated to Nova Scotia in the 17th century

Let’s start off as we must: We are deeply fortunate that our jobs do not require significant exposure to COVID-19, and that the schools and organizations where the kids spend their time have taken this virus, in all its permutations, quite seriously. We have done what we can to keep ourselves and others safe — masking, distancing, vaxxing, boosting, the works. As a result, we are grateful to ring in a new year healthy and well and ever grateful to the many people whose work puts them in harm’s way to make all of our lives possible.

As has become our tradition, here are our updates:

Mojito 

This year I had to do some adjusting. First off, my people LEFT me for an extended period of time during the foggy days. After that, Dylan left completely. Weird. Then Adela was gone nearly all day most days of the week. Sheesh. What could be more important than petting me? I will say the backyard improvements were pretty cool. I got to hide under the new ferns and other plants that Matt organized and everyone planted. And there were still a lot of outdoor BBQ events, just not with enough shrimp or crab in my opinion. 

Adela

I don’t think any of us expected a year like this. When the pandemic started in 2020, I was ready for a few weeks off of school. Heck, maybe we’d even get a month. I was expecting to get out of quarantine and have life return back to normal. I was sorely disappointed. Instead, I spent a year adjusting to a completely new lifestyle. Some people said they were going to make the best of the pandemic: start working out, and go on a diet. I, on the other hand, decided to do nothing. I don’t mean slouch around all day, which frankly, I did plenty of. I meant I wasn’t going to force myself to do things I didn’t want to do. Do yoga in the morning? Sure! Don’t do yoga in the morning because I wasn’t feeling up to it? Just as fine! When I needed to take a break from Zoom school, I would just step away from my computer. If I wanted to go on a walk to look at the sunset, I would. Try and pick up a new hobby? Let’s do it. It made me reevaluate my time and my priorities. Every once in a while, you have to step back and ask, “Are the things that I’m doing really the things I want to do? Or just the things I think I’m supposed to do?” 

Some of the new things that happened to me were not by choice. This year I had my first ever live virtual performance with my chorus. That was wild. I mean, who would even think those three words would ever be in the same sentence? I started volunteering to mentor young singers over Zoom. I started biking more to avoid public transportation. I spent almost all my time in my own house or outside. Before long, the things that I would have considered normal and expected had become the unexpected. Going to school in person. Traveling on a plane.  Performing a concert live, in person, and with no masks. Eating in a restaurant. I realize how much we had taken for granted. And how many things we grew to think of as mundane in years past are now actually exceptional. 

Dylan

From Jack Johnson to Vladimir Nabokov, I read a lot this year. Granted, living out in the Berkshires means that there isn’t much else to do with my time. However, when I did put the books down, I spent most of my time down at Cole Field or shooting pool with my new friends. College has forced me to really change my approach to learning. Between setting my own deadlines and having fewer hours of class per week, I had to change the way I structured my work. Classes went from lectures to discussions, optional readings were not optional, and study groups were a necessity. While I enjoy sharing stories about the new friends I made, and the soccer season we had, the hours spent at my desk reading page after page into the nights will not be forgotten. 

Coming off of a year and a half of lockdown in San Francisco, Williamstown felt like a different world. Nestled in the heart of the Berkshires, I got the chance to really experience New England in all of its grandeur. When I arrived, the blazing 90 degree temperatures had me sweating at all hours of the day. But as the weather cooled off and the leaves started to change, I could sort of understand why some make the argument that the east coast tops the west. 

When the first snow arrived, the jokes began. “Guys, this is crazy, I’ve never seen snow before!” I exclaimed to my peers born and raised 20-40 minutes outside of Boston. Of course most of you know that I have in fact seen snow before, and even partake in winter sports most years. The responses from my friends varied, some worried for my life in negative temperatures, others perplexed at the concept of growing up in a place with no real seasons. Alas, there were some skeptics as well… “Isn’t there snow in Tahoe?” they asked, or a straight up, “No way. That’s not true.” All in all, when the snow eventually came, and temperatures fell below zero, I can proudly say that I was prepared. Granted, it is COLD. Maybe the coldest I’ve ever been, but something about living in a real winter excites me. So as January moves along, I keep doing my little snow dance, jealous of the 10 feet in Tahoe, hoping to wake up to a blizzard…at least I think that’s what I want. 

Coming to Williams, I had a lot of different expectations as to how my first semester would go. The one headline that surprised me was how quickly I became a night owl. Between readings, problem sets, and afternoon classes, I promptly adopted a stereotypical collegiate student sleep schedule. Going home for break may have slightly fixed this unruly routine, but as next semester quickly approaches, I’ll no doubt be back at my desk reading long into the night.

Matt

My work at New Leaders continues to be a source of inspiration and challenge. Through colleagues, clients, and the school leaders we serve, I have been witness to extraordinary feats of courage and perseverance. We are working hard every day to strengthen the quality of principal preparation, so that school leaders are armed not only to take on the nearly impossible challenges of leading through a pandemic, but also to create inclusive and racially just school communities. It has been simply infuriating to watch our schools become a crucible for political opportunism, especially from the most reactionary elements of our body politic, when teachers and principals are just trying to make it from one day to the next. I recently joined the school governance team for Adela’s high school in order to help a little bit more.

Looking back on 2021, I realize that I have mostly created a virtual social web. The Dead Poets Society — our 30-member family call — has been going strong week-in and week-out. On a monthly basis, I’ve been convening a happy hour of my closest college friends — James, James, and Dave. And I kept up facilitation of our amazing bookclub, now called Saplings, where we read on the theme of displacement and exile before moving on to transformation.

Perhaps because I spent so much of my time online this year, the things I recall most fondly from 2021 all happened outdoors. Leveling up my game as a gardener (I’m still very much in the novice category). Hiking “the Notch” with my dad during a December family gathering in Vermont. And, best of all, trekking the Lost Coast of California for three off-the-grid days with Dylan and Adela.

Jeannette

2021 brought me many reasons to be hopeful, maybe because I was determined to reclaim a better balance after the turmoil and stress of 2020. Amidst the enduring issues of racial injustice, climate change, attacks on democracy, and COVID-19, I appreciated several sources of inspiration – most of them from wise and bold women. Here’s a snippet of what’s been keeping me going . . . 

“I have learned you are never too small to make a difference.” — Greta Thunberg, COP24 Speech (2018)

“When America is at its best, we acknowledge the complexity of our societies and the complicating reality of how we experience this country—and its obstacles. Yet we never lose sight of the fact that we all want the same thing. We want education. We want economic security. We want health care. Identity politics pushes leaders to understand that because of race, class, gender, sexual orientation/gender identity, and national origin, people confront obstacles that stem from these identities.” — Stacey Abrams, Our Time is Now (2020)

“Hope is an embrace of the unknown and knowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists. Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting. It’s the belief that what we do matters even though how and when it may matter, who and what it may impact, are not things we can know beforehand.” — Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark (2004)

“To build community requires vigilant awareness of the work we must continually do to undermine all the socialization that leads us to behave in ways that perpetuate domination.” – bell hooks, Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope (2003)

“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.” — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass (2013)

“Be Love. Find Joy. Do Good.” — Bernadette Chi, words to live by (2021)

In my day to day, I engage in redesign efforts in education. My work in the U.S. is focuses on rethinking and redesigning schools and districts so they are more equitable, relevant, student-centered, civic-minded, and engaging. With colleagues in Chile, I train educators to design and implement high quality project-based learning. Beyond my professional world, I remain active in “Get Out the Vote” campaigns, my church community, connecting with family and friends, and trying to stay on top of my bookclub reading. My other “Get Out” campaign in 2021 was an effort to stay physically active. While that was often limited to working out in our garage mini-gym, on better days it included long walks, bike rides, or ski ventures. After we were vaccinated and felt safe enough, we ventured out socially, traveling east to see family during the summer. Later I dropped off Dylan to Williams College with my folks. In December, I embarked on my first work trip in nearly two years, and we closed out the year with a lovely holiday visit in Vermont. 

*****

2021 is also the year that the reactionary Right wing of our country tried to foment a coup, and they almost pulled it off. Since January 6th, what’s become eminently clear is an attempt to whitewash that failed plot, to normalize the rioting and obfuscate the planning, all in an effort to consolidate and regain power. There are lots of things to fight for as we move deeper into 2022, but perhaps none is more critical than holding the lot of them accountable. And since only a few Republicans are willing to stand up and do the right thing, it’s up to the rest of us to keep up the work of democracy, which we can only do by winning more elections.

In September, we had the chance to see Mon Laferte in concert. She is, simply put, a powerhouse. A Chilean singer who lives and works in Mexico and who channels the revolutionary and feminist spirit of women across Latin America. In one of her 2021 releases, she asks, “Qué alguien me explique lo que pasó con la democracia… ¿Pa’ dónde fue? ¿Quién se la robó?” (“Can somebody explain to me what happened to democracy? Where did it go? Who stole it?”)

This year, we hope you will join us in the work to be sure that we don’t need to keep asking ourselves that question. And we hope that the new year will bring many more of you to our backyard — we’d like to see you in person.

2021 by the numbers

0 – work trips for Matt

1 – moose spotted on Cole Field where the Williams men’s soccer team plays home games

2 – hours Dylan physically attended high school during his senior year (kid you not)

4 – people in our household who legally drove in the state of California

5 — hours Adela spent at Dylan’s school (taking – and acing – the AP Spanish exam)

6 — number of cuisines our Chilean friend Sol fell in love with while visiting us in San Francisco 

10 — concerts Adela sang in: 4 virtually, 5 in-person, and 1 recorded live and later streamed 

12 – doses of COVID vaccine injected into our arms

17 – date in August when Dylan cast his first ballot (in the recall election for Governor Newsom)

25 – miles of California Lost Coast trekked by Adela, Dylan and Matt

27 – our favorite soccer player wears this number (you can probably guess who)

50 — percent of women serving as constitutional assembly members (as defined by law) to rewrite Chile’s constitution and rid it once and for all of the trappings of the dictatorship

70 – percent of the day that our cat, Mojito, spends sleeping

80 – milestone birthdays for Pop-Pop Kelemen and Uncle Pete 

3000+ — number of stained-glass windows Adela enthusiastically called out while walking, cycling, or driving

There are years that come and go. Years that hold no special significance in our collective memory. And then there are years that are forever seared in our minds because of profound historical events or personal milestones. 2020 — a year so often imagined in strategic plans and science fiction novels — will forever be a year remembered, simply because we have never had another year like it in our life times. And at the end of such a year, maybe it’s just enough to say, we’re still here.

Mojito

2020 was amazing! All my humans were home almost all of the time. They gave me lots of attention — lots of petting and playtime. They wore strange face coverings before they went outside, so that was weird. And they were on their devices a lot. I think I am the only one in the family who wants 2021 to be just like last year.

Adela

This year music was a huge part of my life, even more than it had been before. That might be surprising, because I was already spending half of each school day, two late afternoons a week and the occasional all-day Saturday rehearsal, singing. But this year I haven’t had much else to do, so I’ve really been able to focus on it. 

One thing that’s been great about studying music in and out of school is being able to meet incredible artists. I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Ysaÿe M. Barnwell, from Sweet Honey in the Rock, who gave a guest talk in one of my classes. She spoke about the power music has and ways we can use it to improve our communities. I also got to partner with local Bay Area artists like The Living Earth Show through the San Francisco Girls Chorus. I even had the opportunity to collaborate on a project with The King’s Singers, a well-known English acapella group. I have been able to learn from and collaborate with these artists because sheltering in place has given artists a new space online to connect. Being across the country, or even on a different continent, is no longer the barrier it used to be. 

In school we did an interesting project about different protest songs throughout history. Our group studied the LGBTQ+ liberation movement and the many artists that have contributed to it. Songs like Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way” and Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” have become anthems for the movement, and a way for people in the community to feel empowered. I also got introduced to music from other movements like the Chicano Farm Workers in California and Anti-Apartheid protests in South Africa. I find it really interesting that music is used all around the world to make change. Music can be very powerful because it brings people together. It also helps communicate a message and lets people be heard. 

I’ve also been able to grow musically in other ways besides singing. I’ve dedicated a lot of my time to improving my piano skills. And I taught myself a few chords on the guitar. I even brought out my old flute from elementary school, but I still only know how to play a B and a C. Learning a new instrument is a fun way to pass the time, even if I’m not the best at it. There are all kinds of ways to express yourself with music, and I plan on learning more ways in 2021. 

Jeannette

Early in the year Matt and I participated with Adela in San Francisco’s annual MLK March and were proud to hear her speak to all the people gathered at Yerba Buena Gardens with other youth, city officials and faith leaders. Adela emphasized the need for us to address environmental injustice and the disproportionate negative impact it has on communities of color. Later in the year we marched on multiple occasions, expressing despair for the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and countless others, offering our support for the Black Lives Matter movement. But marches and speeches were only part of the call this year. We were called through work/school, in our neighborhood, through our communities of faith, among our friends and family members, and with voter registration drives to expand our efforts for racial justice. 

Before the pandemic cut off travel, I managed two trips – one to New York City and another to San Diego – both which afforded me terrific learning opportunities with talented colleagues and evening meet-ups with friends and family. It broke my heart to cancel my spring trip to Chile, but I was able to convert some of in-person engagements to virtual events. I paid a lot of attention to how students and educators were meeting the challenges of teaching and learning without physically going to school, and supported my projects while working from home. 

Apart from work, I volunteered gobs of hours campaigning for candidates and getting out the vote. Some weeks I wrote postcards and/or did text banking, and other weeks I was calling voters or taking shifts on a voter hotline for Spanish speakers. Adela was a huge help, and we cured ballots together in Nevada after election day – a trip we’ll both remember for a long time since we were getting ready to drive to Reno when we learned the election results had been called. I’m especially grateful for Black women in our country. Despite the fact that they were denied the right to vote when the 19^th Amendment was passed in 1920, Black women have been consistent guardians of citizenship. Ninety-three percent of Black women supported the Biden-Harris ticket, and a record number of Black women both ran for and won seats in Congress. Thanks to the efforts of Stacey Abrams, Michelle Obama, Aimee Allison, LaTosha Brown, Andrea Miller and scores of other dedicated folks across the country, we saw impressive voter registration drives and the highest percent of eligible voters casting their ballot in over a century. 

Being physically active was part of being civically active this year. Matt and I trained and fundraised for the AIDS LifeCycle together, and we completed 545 miles of a “do-it-yourself” version of the ride during the summer. Thanks to so many of you, we reached our fundraising goal of $10,000 for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. In the U.S., there were nearly 38,000 new HIV diagnoses reported in 2018, and 42% of those were among Black adults and adolescents. There are 1.2 million people in the U.S. living with HIV. For 2021, I committed to ride 1,000 miles and raise $2,500 by June 30^th for the AIDS LifeCycle, which this year is called TogetheRIDE. If you’d like to support my effort, you can access my fundraising page here. To date I have raised roughly 15% of my pledge. Any amount helps! 

Other connections and activities sustained me in this challenging year – Zoom calls with family and friends, weekly yoga classes, reading, virtual services, long walks, lots of cooking, ongoing Spanish lessons and music. I imagine I will continue to depend on them for much of 2021. 

Dylan

I could have been original this year, especially because it will be my last year contributing to this letter as a kid. But I can officially report that senioritis has set in. So, in lieu of a COVID essay, I will try to entertain my avid readers with a piece that really sums up my life up until this point. Without further adieu…[insert drum roll]…I present you with the Personal Statement that I used to apply to college:

I am who I am because of my friends. It is through the effort I take to befriend people and really know them that I make sense of the world and my place in it. Take Pablo (one of my classmates) and Jorge (one of my teammates). When my friends talk about Pablo, they talk about his sense of humor. He is quite funny, but I also know him as trusting and compassionate, a good listener, and extremely hardworking. My teammates know Jorge as a workhorse on the soccer field. But I have seen him quietly working on advanced math or chatting long-distance with his little sister.

Jorge, Pablo, and other friends know how much I care about them. As a result, they respect me and even see me as a leader.

It started on the elementary school playground, the center of my world. I can name just about every boy on that blacktop, along with their strengths and interests. It usually fell to me to pick teams and referee disputes, all while trying hard to win at everything.

It evolved when I moved to Chile as a twelve year old. While I vividly remember sobbing into my pillow at 3 a.m. on our first night in Santiago, missing my friends in San Francisco, I worked quickly to forge new relationships. I deciphered the slang, adapted to a new style of play on the pitch, and leaned into friendships. Slowly, my environment began to feel less foreign and I began to feel more Chilean.

What came next is what I am most proud of — stepping into the leadership that comes from being an authentic friend. At my soccer club, known as the top training ground for players in Chile, I staked my claim as a starter and forged bonds of brotherhood that will last a lifetime. I was demanding, urging my teammates to work harder and get better. My coaches noticed, naming me captain of my age group in my second year, despite being the only foreigner.

My friendships also illuminated the deep class chasm that exists in Chilean society, separating boys like Jorge and Pablo (not their real names). While these two friends of mine are similar — both incredibly hardworking and compassionate — they could not come from more different backgrounds. 

Jorge lives in the dorms of Club Deportivo Universidad Católica and his dad travels 10 hours every week to see him play. Soccer is his ticket to social and economic advancement. Needless to say, he has a lot on his shoulders. 

Pablo is wealthy and attends an elite high school. His grandfather was rector of Universidad Católica under the dictatorship, rubbing elbows with Pinochet and the Chicago Boys who ran Chile’s economy. Whatever his personal goals, Pablo is set for life.

With friends on each edge of this chasm, I tried to be a bridge. I led a class project with Habitat for Humanity, organizing my classmates to build shelters for families in dire health conditions. I was thrilled to learn that they continued this work after I left Chile.

I returned to the States better armed with the knowledge of how people affect my life and how I can affect theirs. Some things felt like just the right next steps. Joining a competitive soccer team, where we reached the National Championship in my first year; volunteering at the San Francisco/Marin food bank to provide meals to my community; and most importantly, making new friends. 

Other things were strange and new. I came home to a San Francisco confronting racial justice and the climate crisis and found myself with questions about how I will contribute to positive change. I do not have the answers today, but I do know that I will not find those answers alone. I will find them through the relationships that I build and sustain.

This year really has been a rollercoaster…or at least a merry-go-round… that was sanitized… and limits the number of riders… you get the point. I do appreciate all the time of reflection, looking towards the future, whatever that may bring.

Matt

I continue to take great joy and pride in my work at New Leaders, an organization focused on promoting racial justice by developing leaders of color and their equity-focused allies to transform learning outcomes for students of color and students facing poverty. Through my work partnering with universities, we were able to broker a partnership with Morehouse College to create and implement a new approach to principal preparation, one that we believe will be transformative in our field. It’s been a gift to me to deepen my understanding of what institutions like Morehouse — which was born out of Reconstruction and which counts Dr. King among its alumni — mean for the past, present and future of our country.

By necessity, this was a year of turning inward. By dint of having nowhere else to go, I gave my attention to our backyard. Since we returned from Chile, we have aspired to create a “quincho,” a grill area intended for entertaining friends and family. Dylan and I partnered on it and leveled up on our construction skills as we transformed almost every inch of our space into a patio, a grill, and a refurbished garden. Little did I know it would also serve well as a writing nook.

I also started a weekly family video conference, which I dubbed the Dead Poets Society. Every Sunday, without fail, the Kelemen/Cone clan — thirty of us if I’m counting correctly — pop onto the screen to give updates, complain about the news, answer trivia, and read poetry. Way out here in California, I am grateful for the chance to be closer to my family so often.

I turned 50 this year. I intended to celebrate that milestone visiting my best friend in Montreal and then completing the AIDS LifeCycle from SF to LA. We didn’t get to do those things, but Jeannette and I honored those who donated to the cause by completing our own 545 miles of cycling. The rides gave me three things. One, a deeper appreciation for the natural glory of California. Two, a new way to spend time with Jeannette. And three, a reminder of my mom’s many years of working to end the scourge of AIDS. 

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This year we hunkered down physically to protect ourselves and our community from the perilous spread of COVID-19. And we doubled down on our commitment to lift up the voices, needs and experiences of others as we fought to protect and expand our democracy. For the coming year, among our many wishes and hopes, the one that rises to the top is to see you in person. Whenever you feel like coming by, we’ll prep the grill.

2020 by the numbers

0 – number of sourdough loaves baked in our home – but Adela & Jeannette made macarons!

1 – estimated number of bears who stole our food hanging from a tree at our campsite during the middle of the night

3 – number of campers welcomed into the Kelemen extended family. Jenny & Gregg visited us in their camper (“Ramona Corona”) in August. Kathy & Dana named their “Cone-a-bago” (aka “The Banana Bus”); and one brilliant baby girl named Camper was born in June.

7 – inches Adela’s hair has grown since March

15 — number of college application essays Dylan wrote in 2020 — hard to believe he’s a senior!

20 – years of marriage Jeannette & Matt celebrated with a lovely dinner in our backyard

50 – years celebrated on Matt’s milestone birthday with a lovely dinner in the dining room

78 — percent of Chileans who voted for a new constitution in October, one year after massive protests began throughout the country. This April they will elect 155 representatives who will comprise the convention to rewrite their constitution. 

93 — percent of Black women who voted for the Biden/Harris ticket

350 – estimated number of peaches and nectarines we picked from The Masumoto Family Farm this year

3,655 – number of hours collectively spent on Zoom in our household in 2020

7,100 – highest elevation (in feet) Matt & Jeannette reached on their “Do It Yourself” AIDS LifeCycle – the day they rode 73 miles around Lake Tahoe — spectacular ride!

10,000+ — number of voters Jeannette & Adela reached via postcards, letter, texts, calls and in person door knocks