“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. “So do I," replied Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Rings
Certainly, the COVID-19 global pandemic is an experience we all wish need not have happened in our time but that was not for us to decide! When I reflect on this past school year, we did well with the time given us! We embraced change, became more or less comfortable with ambiguity, reimagined teaching, learning, and assessment and found opportunities we may not have considered but for the disruptions to the status quo. We remained focused on the well-being of our students and supported one another. We found ways to maintain human connection and, through it all, kept hope alive.
Most importantly, we ended the year with joyous celebration of our students and their accomplishments! While graduation looked and felt different, we marked the milestone with style and honoured the Class of 2021. The strength, grace, maturity and determination of our grads was noteworthy and they will be long remembered for their character and altruism.
As we look forward to next year, we are optimistic that we will be able to reclaim many of the extracurricular and co-curricular experiences that make high school engaging and fun. We know we will need to take inventory and that some pandemic inspired changes are worth preserving. We will meet our students where they are at, not where they would be but for the pandemic. We will organize differently for instruction and ensure students have the universal and individual supports they need to progress and achieve.
I hope students and staff alike will enjoy a safe and rejuvenating summer . . . and don't forget to get vaccinated! Please check our web site at the end of August for the most up-to-date “back to school" information, including any ongoing public health protocols that may be required.
