View from My Window

The view from my window at the end of this academic year was fabulously different from that view a year ago. I saw Upper Schoolers signing yearbooks (above), Lower Schoolers enjoying Field Day, and Middle Schoolers having a final recess with their Head of Middle School John Stephens. Throughout the summer, I saw a wonderfully busy campus. Last summer, we were closed to all except for our Senior Leadership Team and Plant Operations and Grounds teams. In summer 2020, there were no Fort Wonder Summer Camps or Falcon Sports Camps. This summer, we had 2,000+ children participating in Director of Auxiliary Services Michael Carmody’s incredible creations.

While there was no action out the window, the view into the conference room next to my office was all action in June 2020. Last summer, that space was something of a war room. Many of the Senior Leadership Team were here navigating the challenges of preparing the School to open under COVID-19 protocols. We were learning about disease spread, about facilities hygiene, about air-handling technologies and the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP), along with many other outof-the-norm topics. We were also redesigning our classrooms and our schedules to accommodate the spacing requirements brought on by the concern of disease spread on campus. A year later, we can be proud that our students and teachers made 2020-21 a remarkable year. With masks and six feet separating desks all year, and guided by an invaluable group of seven medical professionals, our JK-8 students started on schedule in August and only had four days of “Zoom school” with our “preemptive” campus closure after the winter holidays. Upper School students came to campus September 8 after starting the year on Zoom. Our fall athletics and arts efforts were most disrupted, but we were able to end the spring semester with some performances back indoors and competitions at full speed, including baseball, boys golf, softball, and track and field competing in the SPC Championships.

Most impressively, our Class of 2021 came out shining. After being exemplary in handling the challenges and patiently waiting for the thrills of spring, they graduated at Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in front of a full crowd of parents, relatives and friends. Our “One FWCD” theme guided our commitment to providing the safest and best learning experiences possible for our students, and our seniors guided us all to making that feeling a reality.

Go Falcons!

Eric Lombardi, Head of School