VOICES OF THE PANDEMIC It’s been said more times that any of us want to hear, “these are unprecedented times.” As we look back at the 2020-2021 school year and everything that challenged our school community, the voices of our students and faculty/staff have given a perspective of how the challenge was met.
We asked a group of faculty/staff and students the following questions: SHARE A MEMORY THAT EXEMPLIFIES HOW UNIQUE THIS YEAR WAS: “Learning through a screen in my own room was not what I was expecting my junior year to be like. Having to learn alone in my own bedroom through a screen isn’t what I (or anyone) expected high school would be like.” CHRISTINE HOA NGUYEN ’22 “We were usually asked to stay outside for lunch. During days where it was cold, my friends and I sat just inside the doorways staying spread out and would shout to each other across the hallway.” ANNELIES DE MOOR ’24 “In many ways this year was unique (hybrid learning, reading Shakespeare and doing poetry workshops in a virtual setting, cicadas, etc.), but I think certain things were the same...which makes me even more grateful for those moments. So, watching the little goslings being brought down to the theater courtyard, reading our favorite holiday stories before Christmas break, sharing all of our must-read books at the end of the year—I was impacted by those moments of normalcy all the more.” DR. MEGAN MINOGUE (English Chair)
WHAT ARE YOU NOT GOING TO MISS FROM THIS PAST YEAR? “I am not going to miss the one-way hallways. They may have kept me in shape and helped me get my steps in, but holy moly it was tiring to walk around in circles just to get back to one classroom!” MEGAN STEELE ’22 “I’m definitely not going to miss the isolation from all my friends, and the long hours spent staring at my iPad during virtual school.” ANNELIES DE MOOR ’24 “I will not miss the virtual ASAs [All-School Advisory]. There is just something so special about the whole community coming together on Mondays to jumpstart the week. The school spirit, that energy, is essential to the atmosphere of our school, and it’s something that I feel sets us apart from other schools.” JULIE RITTER (School Counseling Director) “I am not going to miss students on screen while other students are in class. Many times, it felt disconnected.” ASHLEY GARDNER (Science teacher) 8 THE TARTAN 2020 - 2021 School Year
WHAT DID YOU MISS THIS PAST YEAR? “Seeing the student productions is always a highlight of my year, and while I very much enjoyed the virtual versions put together, there’s something about being in a live audience that is a profound difference for both actors and spectators.” DR. MEGAN MINOGUE (English Chair) “The thing I missed most about this past year was being backstage during our shows. Luckily, we were able to be back again for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, but before then I felt as though something was missing from my life. I met some of my favorite people working backstage, so being away from it was definitely difficult.” MEGAN STEELE ’22 “I missed experiencing significant events with the school community. I am hopeful that over time next year, we can all experience events like those again.” NIA REDDICK (School Counselor) “Building individual relationships with students is an important foundation to the counseling field. We strive to make students feel welcomed, included, empowered and engaged. So much of the work we do is about nurturing relationships with students, staff and families. The virtual world certainly made that a bit challenging for the counseling department. We made the most of it, though; relying on technology, we consistently supported our virtual students through Google Meets and Google chats, but it sure was nice to eventually meet most of our students in our offices again.” JULIE RITTER (School Counseling Director) “I missed the typical interactions you have with your students. When someone was struggling with a lesson, having to keep the distance was difficult.” ASHLEY GARDNER (Science teacher)
