A Year Unlike Any Other

No classroom, no problem! Auggie Eaton ’28 grew a Venus flytrap as part of his science lab co-curricular.

Stella ’30, Max ’32, and Grant Delaney ’28 get ready for a sack race during a virtual Olympic Day.

Despite not being able to play together, PE classes continued to roll! Here, Ragan Goodwine ’28 takes a break from basketball.

Caroline DuMond ’25 dissects mouse bones from an owl pellet. Seventhgrade science teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Northrup ensured everyone received a pellet by mailing them to every home!

Morgan Brown ’23 used her free time to plant a backyard garden.

A Year Unlike Any Other –Living Through History

Typically, the day before Cannon School’s spring break is one that buzzes with an electric energy. Students can barely contain their excitement as they file down the halls, giggling, chatting, dreaming of days ahead in which they will travel or sleep blissfully late. Teachers watch the minutes on the clock tick by, eagerly anticipating a week of rest and relaxation before coming back to school, refreshed, for the final end-of-year push.

But Friday, March 13, 2020, was different. Gone was the easy banter between friends about the places their families planned to visit. Smiles and laughter were replaced by jangled nerves and worried looks. After all, the global pandemic COVID-19 had arrived in the United States. The world was changing around all of us at a frighteningly quick clip, and no one had any idea as to what was expected to happen tomorrow—let alone in ten days, when we were slated to return to campus.

Teachers gently reminded students to gather all their belongings and pack up, as there was a real possibility that we may not be able to return to campus for some time. Students questioned if they’d see their friends or teachers again at any point in the near future. Seniors wondered if they were inexplicably, unimaginably living out their very last day on Cannon’s School campus. Even a week prior, it would have been a scenario that sounded utterly impossible. But in the waning hours of March 13, one thing became clear – whether we liked it or not, history was being made.

And we were living it.

A Tense Break

Over the course of the following week, news about the pandemic grew grimmer by the day. Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 cases surged. In response to federal and state guidelines, Cannon made the decision to begin emergency remote learning on Thursday, March 26, with the hope that we would be able to return to campus April 6. That meant that post-spring break, faculty had three days to prepare to take their classrooms online.

Members of our IT Department went into overdrive during spring break. “Everyone wanted to know how we would handle the technology needs for remote learning,” said Mr. Bill Donovan, director of institutional technology. “We had to work closely with the division heads and deans to find out what tools they would need for their remote learning plans and get training material ready for them. We were also trying to help our staff with solutions to help them work remotely from home. The days were long, the volume of communication was intense, but everyone jumped in and helped. By the time we got to Monday, March 23, we were ready to help teachers and staff with their remote learning and work needs.”

Upper School Advanced Strings students learned their individual parts to “Tango d’Amour,” then came together via Webex to play the entire piece as a group.

Mrs. Catherine Jones’s eighth-grade English Creative Explorations class chose two meaningful pieces from the writing and art genres they had studied—pastel, watercolor, ink, poetry, short story, memoir, or laser cut. Since they couldn’t be displayed in the hallways, Mrs. Jones created a virtual museum to show off their work!

That morning, teachers and administrators nervously logged on Webex—our adopted schoolwide platform where one can host online meetings with HD video, audio and screen sharing. Unsurprisingly, there were plenty of questions and concerns. “Everyone on our team focused on supporting faculty and staff,” said Donovan. “And Cannon faculty were amazing! They took the challenge and quickly learned from our video training material and live online sessions to serve the needs of our students.”

Early Days

A new “first day of school” arrived Thursday, March 26, with students and teachers feeling equal parts excitement and apprehension. Middle and Upper School began their days with advisory meetings via Webex, allowing everyone to see others’ faces in the Brady Bunch-style grid that would become a distinguishing trademark of the times. Lower Schoolers, more unfamiliar with technology due to their ages, eased into the process more slowly. “We needed to take time so the kids could just learn how to turn on their computers and navigate between tabs,” said Mrs. Melissa Fox, Lower School dean of studies. “For us, it was a learning experience, one in which we never stopped hearing feedback, adjusting, and adapting.”

Stay-At-Home Orders and Extending Emergency Remote Learning

Just days after beginning the emergency remote learning process, Governor Roy Cooper issued a stay-at-home order, and Cannon School extended the exclusive use of remote learning through May 4. As the days continued, students hit a rhythm—albeit one that was often changing.

Surveys were sent to parents, feedback was considered, and the Heads of School in all three divisions worked with teachers to adjust courses based on the experiences our families were having. For parents with young children, or those trying to work from home, there was also an adjustment to a new normal no one had anticipated. Holly Grouse, parent of Jadon ’28 and Katie ’30, experienced the difficulties of balancing a career with remote learning. Holly and her husband, Chris, own a small business, and rotated their schedules so one could be in the office while the other was home with the kids. Holly says that fourth-grader Jadon had relatively few issues with remote learning, but the process was far more difficult for her second-grader Katie. A social, group work-oriented child, Katie struggled with feelings of loneliness, as well as navigating the computer

and staying on task while at home. (All typical for a child in secondgrade.) The frightening state of the world also caused fears and anxiety for the entire family.

Many of our faculty members with small children were experiencing similar difficulties. Mrs. Kenan Mattsson, Upper School science teacher, is married to Middle School science teacher Jeremy and mom to Dalton ’28 and Charlie ’31. “For me, it was mostly trying to juggle where to work and how to help both my students and my own children,” she said. “We all needed our own workspace because we often were on live calls at the same time. But both my boys needed assistance with their work. So, finding that balance was difficult.”

Lower School art students were asked to recreate a famous painting using – themselves! Here, Orietta Grady ’29 poses as Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”

What were some of the challenges you faced during remote learning?

“As a busy person, I find motivation in knowing that I have to get my work done by a certain time, or else I won’t be able to get it done at all due to my busy schedule. During remote learning, I had more time to procrastinate, which was my biggest challenge. Eventually, I adapted and began utilizing my class periods to do as much work as I could, and then finishing the rest during my break periods.” – Morgan Brown ’23

“The biggest challenge I faced early on in remote learning was determining what the best content was to provide our PE students. We wanted them to be engaged and enjoy the lessons and physical activities. Finding a balance between fun and providing an adequate workout was challenging at first. This was resolved by providing many different types of lessons throughout the week— cardio, yoga, games, and dance. In addition, I felt like the biggest issue students were facing was feeling isolated and missing their peers/teachers. I tried to combat this issue by holding the virtual classes where the kids got to see each other and engage together like we would in the gym during PE class.” – Mrs. Kelli Waller, Lower School PE teacher

“It was difficult to focus on schoolwork with people home and my dog. It is easier to focus at school. Mrs. Milam helps me focus, and I missed Mrs. Milam when I was doing schoolwork at home.” – Evelyn Finkl ’32

“Well, the morning of the first day of remote learning, even after several successful tests in the days prior, my computer crashed when joining the first meeting. It was a problem that I wasn’t expecting, but I was able to fix it quickly. A different problem soon emerged in the fact that I could not just go into a teacher’s classroom when I had a question to ask. I had always liked writing e-mails and communicating remotely, but not being able to see teachers at all to ask questions was difficult.” – Carter Huffman ’24

“I think the most challenging thing about the remote learning process was adjusting my schedule. I really like having a daily schedule that stays consistent, so switching that up (going from six classes to two, getting to wake up three hours later, longer class periods, etcetera) was probably the hardest thing to get used to.” – Isabella Friedli ’22

“I had a ‘question of the day’ each day and I asked each of my students to respond. For me, this is what I needed the most—to hear from my students. How are they doing? What are they doing? What is positive in their life?” – Mrs. Kenan Mattsson, Upper School science teacher

“At times it was hard for me to be motivated and focused on assignments because I wasn’t in a ‘school’ setting. However, I quickly learned how to adapt, and as a result this experience has taught me to prioritize tasks, manage my own time, and understand how to maintain a school-life balance. Thankfully, I had the support and guidance of my family, friends, and teachers to help me along the way!” – Ashmi Trivedi ’24

In five, ten, or fifteen years, what do you think you will look back on and remember about this time?

“I will always remember that it is possible to adapt and change environments and still produce the same quality of work. As long as you become comfortable in that environment, you can work well. During this time we have all endured challenges and setbacks. We have all attempted to do our part in social distancing. Some of us have been sapped of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like the seniors. But no matter what we went through, we went through it together, as a community.” – Cole Frei ’25

“Looking back on this experience down the road, I could choose to look at it in two different ways: first, I was forced to stay away from my friends and finish out the school year online instead of the fun way it was supposed to end; or second, I was given some time to focus on myself, build habits, spend more time with my family, and learn new skills. I can either focus on the negative parts of this or try to look at the great things that came out of it. I would much rather choose to look back at this experience and see the positive things.” – Morgan Brown ’23

“Through this pandemic I have learned what matters most—the close relationships with my family, friends, and teachers. Some people don’t believe in the idea that ‘money can’t buy happiness.’ However, because of devastating results due to COVID-19, we are being reminded that health, not money, is our true wealth, and that we would give anything for the well-being of our family and loved ones.” – Ashmi Trivedi ’24

“At Cannon, we truly are a team, and this time taught me that when each of us brings our unique thoughts, talents, and ideas to the table, we are able to produce and create some pretty amazing work.” – Mrs. Jennifer Brooks, third-grade teacher “Mondays were hard,” Mattsson continued. “By the end of each week, we found a groove, but then Monday would roll around again. For me, finding time to plan and grade was the most challenging.”

Perseverance Through Unity

On April 23, Head of School Christopher Jones announced that, due to continuous spread of COVID-19 and in an attempt to “flatten the curve,” we would not return to campus for the remainder of the year. He shared the framework for the remaining weeks—remote learning would continue through May 21, and that date would mark the end of the academic year. Commencement for the Class of 2020 was to stay slated for Friday, May 22.

Teachers, students, and families were deeply disappointed that we would not be able convene together again on campus for the remainder of the year. Yet, in spite of the situation, our community spirit was more abundant than ever, evidenced by a truly spectacular Commencement send-off for the seniors. (See pages 18-21 for more on that!)

When asked to reflect on the eight weeks (and 2 days!) of remote learning, Mr. Bill Donovan made clear that although putting an emergency remote learning program in place under such dire circumstances was difficult, he believes our community did an excellent job making lemons out of lemonade. “We did a great job of communicating, collaborating, but mostly caring for each other. The level of caring for every individual was truly moving. In my humble opinion, the Cannon community came together like never before to support students, families, faculty, and staff. What did we do best? We never forgot to stay true to our mission.”

“As educators, one of the most important practices we can do is continuously reflect and improve,” said Mrs. Jennifer Brooks, who taught third grade last year and will take on the role of Lower School learning specialist for 2020-2021.

When Cannon’s prom was canceled, Anna Ruth ’20 and Molly Morrison ’21 didn’t let it stop them from having a ball. They dressed up younger brother Hugh ’28 and took him as their date to a prom at home! Parents Anne and Holt and cousin Mary joined in the fun, with a fancy dinner and dancing in the living room.

Mr. Andy MacDonald managed to keep his Upper School theater students entertained with weekly videos. Here, he sings the praises of remote learning with an original song and 80’s hair band-style video.

“Nowhere was this more pertinent than during remote learning. In a very short period of time, we had to think of new and different ways to connect with one another and deliver meaningful instruction to students. Throughout remote learning, reflection became an hourly, daily, and weekly habit for us. I believe that as we embark upon a new school year, we will hold on to this practice and in true Cannon fashion, make it part of our journey of growth.”

As of press time, Cannon will adopt a hybrid learning model for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, with a mix of in-person classes, at-home learning, and the utilization of new technology that will allow remote students to participate in class. In a message to families, Head of School Mr. Christopher Jones looked ahead to the coming year. “Cannon School’s culture is one of our greatest strengths. In the coming months, we will continue to encounter complexity and uncertainty as we return to campus and form new habits together. This will require that we listen to and work with one another in a spirit of trust and flexibility. Trust in the belief that each member of this community is working with the best of intent to return safely and successfully to campus. Flexible in that we will have to adapt together to circumstances that will change, both in ways we can anticipate and in others we may not. The active choice to rely upon colleagues, leaders, experts, and friends who contribute so much to Cannon will help see us through to the other side of this historic moment.”

What were the highlights of remote learning?

“I loved seeing so many of my students find ways to thrive and flourish in this setting. Our third graders had multiple opportunities to showcase their learning through projects and enrichment activities. We were truly amazed at how thoughtful and creative so many students were. For example, in social studies the students learned about the Hoover Dam. After learning about it, one student went to the creek behind his family’s house and created his own dam! All the third graders also created a new mode of transportation and presented it to teachers ‘Shark Tank’ style via Seesaw. Their prototypes and presentations were incredibly detailed and impressive. In some ways it seemed that having time and space to think and experiment with new ideas by themselves sparked or enhanced our students’ creativity in ways that being in a classroom did not.” – Mrs. Jennifer Brooks, third-grade teacher

“The process of remote learning definitely made me appreciate Cannon more than I ever have before. I learned to appreciate going to school, seeing my friends, and having class discussions more than ever. I was so grateful to my teachers throughout the remote learning process, because they had to work even harder to keep us engaged, and it was very clear to me that they were spending a lot of time preparing lessons and activities for us. Remote learning gave me the opportunity to create my own schedule, and I loved that I had more time to do things I enjoy! I’ve loved spending more time outdoors, and it was nice for me to be able to go on runs before school and take walks when I needed a break from my work. Also, while there have been many challenges with having my family of six quarantined together, I have grown much closer to my siblings.” – Frances Bragg ’21

“I liked remote learning because I was able to create my own structure and didn’t have any classmates to distract me.” – Hugh Morrison ’28

“I’m so proud of our students and faculty for doing all they could to make the spring what it could be. We were truly tasked with being adaptive, and we succeeded in that task. I think we all grew in ways that are obvious and in ways that may not yet be seen.” – Mrs. Deb Otey, Head of Upper School