Mathew George

Learning During COVID-19

As I reflected on the start of my third year as principal of Lexington Catholic High School, I realized the events of this past spring have not only made us a stronger school, but a stronger community as well. March 13, 2020, changed the history of our school and the world around us. That evening our school shifted its day-to-day operations to address the COVID-19 issues plaguing our community. From March through May, Lexington Catholic High School, like many schools, conducted all instruction virtually away from the brick-and-mortar building that many of you called home during your years here.

During these challenging times, this school community has remained flexible. This pandemic has also allowed us to venture into new avenues of instruction, technology, and a new mindset to meet the needs of 21st century learners.

We have been able to provide limited in-person instruction since the start of the 2020-2021 academic year. The hybrid schedule that was adopted in response to COVID-19 allows us to have half our student population on campus, every other day. Students are still given the opportunity for face-to-face instruction with their teachers, interaction with their peers, and the many resources available to them at LCHS for their academic success.

Through this, we have made significant improvements to our technology, which allows us to continue to provide all students with instruction in a virtual platform as well. Students learning virtually still mimic a normal school day, following their schedule, appearing online in uniform, and having the opportunity to meet with teachers one hour a day for office hours. Though nothing can replace in-person learning, our students continue to

receive the rigorous instruction and coursework that you did as students at LCHS.

Despite the limitations put on us by the pandemic, we have still introduced new programs in engineering, implemented a block schedule, begun standardized test preparation in our courses, and have begun a Liberal Arts track to our Exemplar Scholar program. These programs, along with continued professional development for teachers, aid in maintaining the high-quality education this school has been known for.

We, as a school community, appreciate your continued support, while we continue to provide a robust, faith-filled education to our current students. Know that each one of you remain in my thoughts and prayers during these uncertain times.