Correction: While the article originally stated that only the Upper School was participating in GA at home, all of GA will be studying virtually until January 11. This decision was made to keep the whole community safe given the risks of holiday travel.
Mr. Schellhas, head of School, announced on December 12th that until January 11th, all three divisions of Germantown Academy will engage in virtual learning with GA@HOME. Although our mitigation strategies in the Upper School are working as a whole, he felt it was necessary to take extra precautions after these busy travel weeks to limit exposure.
The administration’s biggest concern was this: “we are mindful that our larger number of students in the Upper School remain a challenge in terms of physical distancing outside of classrooms, and that this age group is more difficult to supervise regarding safety protocols both on and off campus.”
Mr. Schellhas ended his email revealing that while this decision was incredibly challenging, he felt hopeful that this action would be in the best interest of the GA community in terms of health and safety. Similarly, he emphasized that his main goal is to maintain the on-campus option for as long as possible.
Although the email was sent with the best of intentions, it received mixed emotions. Some felt a sense of relief while others felt an overwhelming amount of frustration. Anonymous data collected through a Google form survey revealed the genuine reaction of faculty and students about this decision.
According to the form, which had over 140 respondents, 85.2 percent of students and faculty preferred in-person learning, in contrast to the 14.8 percent of students/faculty who preferred online learning. Similarly, 49.6 percent of students and faculty felt social isolation was impacting them “moderately”, followed by 28.9 percent “significantly” and 21.5 percent “not much”.
Madeline Gamburg ‘21, a senior at GA, expressed her thoughts about this year and specifically these winter plans. “As a lifer at GA, I’ve looked forward to these traditions my entire life. Seeing the one tradition that means the most to me, GA/PC day, get canceled was a serious hit. When I heard that we were going virtual, I was really upset because these next two weeks are critical in the college process and we need support and comfort which we haven’t been getting. Virtual learning is tough, as it is for many kids, so it’s really hard to not be at school and not be with my teachers for the last time”.
Support was a main concern from our seniors. Despite GA/PC day not being in its original form, teams still got to play, and seniors were still able to perform their “senior strut”, a tradition close to their hearts. SGA, along with other students and faculty members, are banding together during this unprecedented time to create opportunities for students to connect and put a new “spin” on GA traditions to ensure safety.
Similarly, an Upper School teacher revealed, “My reaction [to GA’s new plans] was positive and negative. Do I want to teach in person? Absolutely. However, given the prevalence of COVID in our community (average numbers of new cases per day as well as positivity rates) the data supports being safe and cautious.”
Students are trying their hardest, teachers have adapted in ways that we students never knew were possible, and parents are trying their best and adapting to change quickly. Administrators at GA are making strides to get us all back to where we want to be, in a safe and healthy way. While this was a challenging decision, everyone can agree that we all hope to put this virus and its impact behind us, while remaining safe and healthy.
Go Patriots!