Against the Odds

» Kimberly Reid ’13 shows Ella Beth Wiedmer ’25 how to use the screening kiosk.

« Coverings were constructed for outdoor patio areas to allow students to eat, study, connect, and even have classes without face coverings.

» Students primarily ate lunches outdoors, with the senior class having exclusive access to the dining hall seating. In inclement weather, classrooms were used as dining spaces.

» Lunchtime remained a favorite time of day, with our chef and Sage associates painstakingly preparing individualized servings to minimize contact.

PLAYING IT SAFE

For more about how our athletic-specific precautions kept us competitive all year, please see page 16.

» Our students and teachers worked so hard to follow our COVID protocols, including wearing face coverings indoors and keeping desks distanced to limit contact.

HOW GPS STAYED SAFE AMID A PANDEMIC

By Pamela Hammonds

IF THE GPS 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR were a postcard, it might read: Greetings from a Year of COVID-19—where everyone tried really hard to stay safe. And it worked!

Perhaps that’s oversimplifying the hours of planning and execution needed to transform our physical campus and the way we typically conduct school, but the end result was an in-person experience for the entire school year when other schools in our area and across the nation learned mostly from home.

Months before school began, our facilities team was hard at work, making changes to campus and classrooms to enhance the safety and learning environment for all students and faculty, and the administration worked to establish guidelines and protocols for the start of school. Fifteen walls were removed, and outdoor structures were added to allow students to be outside even during inclement weather. For students and teachers who preferred to conduct school at home, accommodations including state-of-theart cameras helped everyone learn in real-time.

To minimize contact with others, the campus was closed to outside visitors, including parents and alumnae, with a very limited number of guests allowed to attend indoor athletic events and Chapel Talks. Later those restrictions were lessened to include athletic signings and other special events. Freestanding kiosks monitored temperatures and the presence of a face covering for everyone who entered the building. And everyone had to answer a series of health screening questions prior to coming on campus.

Those who were exposed to COVID or tested positive were required to remain off campus for a period of time until deemed safe to return by the current health protocols. Key to managing the stipulations associated with an ever-developing pandemic was our COVID Coordinator, Kimberly Reid ’13. She monitored cases, performed close-contact tracing as mandated by local and state health organizations, established guidelines for athletics and other events and, in the spring, set up four on-campus vaccine clinics in partnership with Access Pharmacy. Reid was later featured in CityScope magazine in their “On the Map” section, which highlights area alumni succeeding at the next level.

From the first day of school to the last, our 2020-21 photos and videos were viewed on our SmugMug page more than 2.6 million times! You may download any of our thousands of photos for free or order prints for a small fee at GirlsPreparatorySchool.SmugMug.com.

A BRIEF RESPITE

With concerns about the number of students and teachers spending time with others over the winter holiday break, GPS remained closed an extra week.

“We have been encouraged by the GPS community’s commitment to safety throughout the school year and heartened by the relatively low illness rates on our campus,” Dr. Kirk Walker, Interim Head of School shared in an announcement about the weeklong remote learning.

From January 4-8, students learned off-campus before returning the following Monday. From then on, in-person learning continued with restrictions modified in accordance with health guidelines.

Once spring approached and the vaccination was more widely available, plans progressed for a more traditional end to the school year.

May Day was moved from Smith Courtyard to the lower athletic fields to allow the junior Class of 2022 to wrap two additional maypoles since they missed that opportunity the previous year. The additional space also permitted families to attend the event while distanced from others.

Commencement exercises for the Class of 2021 was held on the morning of May 15 in a similar fashion as for the Class of 2020, outdoors on Smith Courtyard. For the remaining school year, lovely weather allowed the Eighth-Grade Celebration and other events, such as the Six- and Seventh-Grade May Celebrations, to be held outdoors.

“If ever there was a reason to celebrate an entire school year, it was this one,” says Lynne Macziewski, Associate Head of School and Head of Middle School. “The consistent efforts of each individual made all the difference in our being able to hold school in a way that benefited our entire community.”

ON WE GO!

While we prepare for the fall of 2021 and the start of our 116th year of school, parents have been requested to report their child’s vaccination against COVID-19 and faculty and staff are required to continue wearing masks indoors if not vaccinated. Once data has been examined, the school will determine what protocols will be in place as school begins.

For now, we’ve enjoyed having hundreds of girls on campus this summer for our most successful Summer Camp program to date. If anything inspires us for the future, it’s seeing tomorrow’s Bruisers on campus today.

As always, Here’s to the Girls!

» In April Ross’s engineering class, students tackled COVID-related projects, designing products and an app. « Martha Hanzelik’s SHAPE classes took to the outdoors for some kayak conditioning.

VIRTUAL REALITY

To view our senior Chapel Talks, hear from our teachers and students about life at GPS, see special events and hear speakers from this year and more, visit our YouTube channel at YouTube.com/ GPSBruiserTube.

« Four on-campus clinics allowed students and employees to be conveniently vaccinated.

« By the end of the school year, the Class of 2021 enjoyed their special celebrations, including May Day, college decision day, senior dinner, prom, and Commencement.

GALLERY

Once a Bruiser, always a Bruiser. Read about the transformative life experiences and accomplishments of our alumnae and the legacies left behind by those who are no longer with us.

» CLASS NOTES

» WEDDINGS

» BABIES

» IN MEMORIAM