FROM THE PRINCIPAL

The 2019 -2020 school year could be a contemporary version of Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities.” The year kicked off great momentum hosting over 1,000 current families, alumni, and friends of Fenwick at numerous planned community celebrations. The Building on Excellence initiative was launched, engaging 130 constituents to help us form areas of focus and move forward strategically to improve every FROM THE aspect of a Fenwick education. The volleyball team captured a state championship title, our annual Day of Giving garnered over 500 gifts from passionate stakeholders, students explored their faith through a slate of retreats and we welcomed hundreds of grandparents to share the Eucharist at Grandparents Thanksgiving Mass. Winter brought us exciting sports, the 23rd Athletic Hall of Fame Induction, and one special night for Fenwick to recognize our service and military personnel. As we broached spring, our calendar was bursting with special engagements, inaugural ministry service projects, a Gala, and traditional year end activities to honor our graduating seniors. Everything came to a halt with the arrival of a global pandemic putting our school, our community, and our country in a tailspin of unprecedented events that today, we are still working to overcome.

In March, the state mandated school shut down projected us into a completely altered state of educating and would profoundly affect our overall operational functions. Administration and faculty immediately focused on the most important responsibility of creating a seamless, remote learning environment for our students pivoting virtual classrooms via Zoom, online office hours, and digital assignments. Through it all, teachers and students adapted to the changes, and the remaining months of the school year became a time for growth academically, personally, and socially, but operating in a virtual environment. While the school building was void of faculty and students, a dedicated workforce was in full combat to clean and disinfect every niche and corner so that upon our return to school, the building was free of any contaminants.

Spring sports, socials, and year end events, especially Baccalaureate and Graduation were cancelled or reinvented. Health protocols challenged our ability to host any large gathering but the creativity and cooperation of administration, faculty, and families to devise acceptable solutions culminated in events that allowed our families safe engagement, emotional connection and the reverence and recognition deserved. Highlighted, was the resiliency and pride the Class of 2020 and their families demonstrated throughout this unprecedented time!

No doubt the 2019-2020 school year will be remembered in our school’s history as one of the most difficult, but with the tremendous support, love, prayers and good will provided by our Fenwick Family, the year was able to end on a positive note. As we look back on the past year, we have many reasons to be thankful and we can be proud of all that was accomplished as we persevered in demonstrating our school motto: “To reach the heights, aim high!”

May God’s blessings be with us all in these uncertain times.

Yours in Service,