FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
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Dear Alumni and Friends, the next several months and years, students will be able to reflect on how they made sacrifices for the community’s health and well-being Arnold Shorey during the 2020-21 pandemic, and remember their sense of purpose and personal achievement. Planning for our bicentennial celebration is now in full swing. Director of Advancement Peter Ingraham ’80 and Cathy Hall are forming a planning committee with members of the Board’s Advancement Committee to help oversee the process. Based on results from our alumni survey, the main events being considered as part of our bicentennial plans are 1. Student public presentations on the history of Foxcroft Academy since its founding. 2. A gala and dinner celebration with music from the past and present. 3. A publication of a “collection of essays” from various viewpoints (title still in beta). 4. The grand opening of the Jim Robinson Field House which will kick off the bicentennial celebration. Other events and activities being considered are a Lego model of the Academy, a museum of Foxcroft Academy history, sales of bicentennial memorabilia, and fireworks on the island. If you have any ideas that you would like to share or are interested in volunteering, please contact Cathy or Peter. A new “Knowledge in Partnership” mentorship program is being formed with a pool of alums who are available to Foxcroft Academy students interested in learning about possible career opportunities and pathways. Monica Miles Stevens ’13 initiated the program because she learned through her medical school experience that there were a lot of “unwritten rules” in the profession, and having a mentor can be a rewarding and helpful resource. Who better to help current students than 200 years’ worth of alums! Of course, the Foxcroft Academy Bicentennial will be dominating our planning, communications, and celebrations for the next year and a half. More than just celebrating the founding of Foxcroft Academy, it will indeed be a celebration of our community and 200 years of tradition! I hope you join us in recognizing this important milestone and help build on the spirit and energy that we felt at Alumni Weekend.
HIS IS A very exciting time at Foxcroft Academy as we are now fully involved with planning the Academy’s 200th birthday, which is officially being held on January 31, 2023! It is also exciting that we have been in session, in-person, with normalcy thus far (and grateful for every day that we are). We are still enjoying the energy felt during Alumni Weekend as it was one of the best ever! I am sure it was due to the old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” So far, the school year has been going well. Students and teachers are delighted to be back under somewhat normal conditions, and having said that, we must remind ourselves of what it means to be at school each day and what it takes to complete assignments. While Piscataquis County is rated orange or red, indicating high and significant transmission, masking is required. Masking will be voluntary when the county is rated green or yellow. Other pandemic protocols such as screening at home, voluntary pool testing, three-foot physical distancing, staying home if you feel ill, and washing hands frequently are currently in place as we deal with these new challenges. Thanks to the good work of our maintenance team, morning assemblies with students appropriately distanced are being held twice a week, and we recently hosted a well-attended open house and college fair. Given everything going on for the past 18 months, it’s so nice to be in person for these events. As of now, Foxcroft Academy has experienced very few positive cases of COVID -19, and there has been no interruption of educational services. Because Piscataquis County is rated red for high transmission by the CDC, masks are required inside the Academy buildings. Currently, 83% of the faculty is vaccinated, and about 40% of the staff and faculty participate in pool testing. Pool testing requires an individual to test once a week and will prevent anyone from being quarantined as long as the test is negative. Probably the most frustrating part of the pandemic is mandatory quarantining when someone is determined to be a close contact. I am happy to report that our students are doing well with these notifications, which have undoubtedly contributed to our low case count. Like many of us, I hope that over
FA ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2021 4
RIDE ON PONIES!
