E D G E WO O D MEETS the CHALLENGES of 2019-20 I am not sure where to begin. So much has happened since my last article and it seems like that was ages ago. When I took this job, I tried to imagine EHS President everything I Mike Elliott ‘77 might have to deal with because I wanted to be sure my skill set would equip me to handle my responsibilities. Let me tell you, a pandemic that caused schools to be closed and would require a completely new remote learning process to be implemented never came up in my evaluation process. You have often heard me say that Edgewood High School is a special place where special people come together to do special things. You have also heard me say Edgewood is more than a high school for four years, it’s a community for life. That was never truer than during the second semester of the 2019-20 school year. It was truly amazing to watch students, parents, faculty, staff and administration working together to create an environment that allowed for learning to take place every day (read more on page 4). Our student body remained 99% engaged in learning. We did not implement a Pass/Fail
system. We are a college prep school and we continued to instruct, review, test and grade. Our administration, faculty and students were determined not to lose a quarter or semester of learning. While it is extremely unfortunate that the Class of 2020 has not yet been able to hold their graduation ceremony (scheduled August 8), they will be prepared to go to the next level of education and succeed. All of this was done in the spirit of partnership, a cornerstone for our success. Speaking of cornerstones, Edgewood has always been blessed with exceptional faculty members. Several of our teachers who started at EHS at the same time were interested in leaving at the same time. More time with grandchildren and new experiences to explore were among the reasons for their departure. Our community owes a debt of gratitude to our longtime faculty and staff choosing to move on to their much deserved retirement (read more on pages 6-7): Don Regina (41 years), Kym Husom (40 years), Wade DallaGrana (40 years), Karen Houlihan (40 years), PH - Pamela Hanson-Stewart (39 years), Nick Burrows (39 years), Katie Sturm (27 years) and Diane Ballweg (19 years). Also leaving for new adventures are Julie Rzepinski (14 years), Jackie GrazianoBraun (7 years), Lauren Gibbs (3 years), Emily Watson (2 years), Shannon Coltrane
“While it is extremely unfortunate that the Class of 2020 has not yet been able to hold their graduation ceremony, they will be prepared to go to the next level of education and succeed.”
by President Michael Elliott ‘77 Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart
(1 year) and Mishka Ligot (1 year). I pray that God blesses each of them with health and happiness as they start a new chapter in their lives. The 2019-20 school year has been challenging for everyone. There are so many unanswered questions about all that has gone on in recent months and most of us continue to wonder why and for what purpose? For everything there is a reason. I feel that what we’ve all experienced this year has taught us a lot about ourselves, each other and our community. Like our senior class, we never gave up, we looked at the good side, we made the best of what we had, and we did our best. These powerful lessons will continue to serve us well. In line with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa’s anti-racist vision, Edgewood administrators, faculty members, alumni, parents, and Board members along with Sister Maureen McDonnell, OP, have formed a steering committee to strengthen EHS as a school that fosters equity, values diversity, and ensures the dignity of every community member. The steering committee is drafting a vision of an anti-racist, diverse Edgewood in order to develop action steps that lead to the enactment of the vision. The steering committee will also examine school policies and practices in order to make recommendations. We are excited about the opportunity and will keep you posted on our plan and progress. Michael Elliott President
Beth Steffen Principal
We are Edgewood!