The Covid-19 pandemic has shuttered campus indefinitely. What happens now?
By Cate Pitterle (’20)
School is cancelled. Sports seasons, concerts and performances are gone. Prom is likely a no-go. And seniors might not even graduate May 22.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a nightmare scenario, and no one — from federal health professionals to high school administrators — can predict how the situation will unfold. As Cary Academy’s own cancellations pile up, students are loosing their confusion on social media:
“Is there any chance we will have end of year assembly?? What about yearbook?”
“Do you think this will be extended further?”
“Will we go back to school at all?”
As the coronavirus ravages Cary Academy’s end-of-year schedule, almost everything is still up in the air. “I completely understand about the student anxiety,” said Head of Upper School Robin Follet. “All the administrators are trying to navigate the uncertainty as well, and we certainly don’t want to add to it.”
That’s why recent administration emails have been, in the words of one student, “vague.” In a world where nothing is certain, all options have to remain open. “So much depends on when we can gather together again,” said Mr. Follet of planned campus events. “While we work toward decisions, we avoid deluging students and adults with contradictory emails, whether that’s about schedules or other issues.”
But some things are already for certain. Discovery Term, Work Experience, and exchange trips have been canceled, with those final two weeks of school in use for regular classes.
And seniors, in an ironic twist of fate, are finding their lives once again tied to decisions made by the College Board, the company that manages AP tests. With commencement’s postponement an increasingly likely scenario, “We are waiting to see what AP does with timelines for exams,” said Head of School Michael Ehrhardt. “Once we get a bit more clarity, we will get plans out. We want to make sure anybody in ADV courses are prepared for any external exams.”
Though “there could be some special exceptions made for seniors,” Dr. Ehrhardt added, it’s possible that classes will be extended further and graduation pushed back to prepare seniors for the necessary AP exams.
With physical gatherings canceled for the time being, school administrators are looking for ways to move events online. “Even though our school lives exist in the virtual-sphere right now, we want to develop ways for our community to come together,” said Mr. Follet. This will likely include some improvising, as events like the Senior Cookout and Prom could be hard to come by online. A virtual Spirit Week, put together by StuCo and X-Factor, began on March 30.
As the administration continues to explore options, “we’re moving deliberately, but with alacrity,” said Mr. Follet. “Right now, we are just focused on making sure that our students this year have an excellent third trimester.”