Dear Alumni/ae,

As I write this letter today, we are finishing the third and final round of intake testing for the 485 students who chose to return to the grounds for in-person instruction this fall. And, as I write these words, it is impossible not to think back to a world in which the previous sentence would seem unimaginable.

Over the past six months, just about everyone has had to reimagine daily life in what, at times, seems like the alternate dimension that, not so long ago, was the stuff of science fiction. In our small corner of the world here on the grounds, as we have worked non-stop since mid-February – at first reacting, then coping, then transforming the ways we work with our students –we have had to pare down our priorities to the basics of human wellbeing and health and re-build our students’ experience from there. During our first full week of class, I “monitored” an advanced humanities elective with 10 students in person and two students online as my colleague taught remotely, based on concern about a pre-existing health condition. The students were marvelous – engaged, enthusiastic about the reading they had done, eager to work together through their masks and six-foot distance between desks, and the Zoom platform that connected them with their teacher and fellow students (who have chosen to return to the grounds later this year). It was a great class and a joy for me to attend. We have worked hard to be back together in person, and as students’ voices and energy fill the halls and spaces of this school, as they relax in the late summer sunshine outside, it seems that finally, finally, some predictability and order are returning to the world. I hope and pray that, over the coming weeks, more children around America and around the world can get back to school. Kids need to be in school, together.

Certainly, we have learned how to “do” learning and teaching remotely; now, we are learning ways to be together both in person and online simultaneously. This “hybrid” model is hugely challenging for our teachers and our IT department (our “informational technology heroes” who have worked tirelessly to help us do the work as it continues to change). And while this situation is also challenging for our students, it is more than clear that they accepted the challenge to return to school in good health; they are willing and able to be responsible about the good health practices we need to be a safe and healthy community; and even with these and so many more changes, they have come back to school ready to learn and grow and thrive. While it sounds premature, I believe that all this work will indeed pay off for our students and for the long-term health of the School. Because of this pandemic, we are getting better at every element of what we do, and we are also more grateful for the opportunity to do it together. Community and connection matter.

These past few months have been full of uncertainty and turmoil in every element of our lives and in the life of St. Paul’s School. I am grateful to our Board of Trustees, who have been willing to meet weekly when necessary. I am grateful to our alumni for making their voices known in the service of building a stronger, better school for our current and future students. I am grateful to our families for their confidence and partnership. And I could not be more grateful to my colleagues on our faculty and staff, who have embraced the challenges we are encountering with courage and commitment to education and, specifically, to the education of our students. Our Sixth Formers chose “resilience” as our School theme this year, and courage fuels resilience, both now and in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Kathleen C. Giles