YOU’RE NOT ON MUTE BY BECKY PURDY ILLUSTRATION BY CASSANDRA HAMER
There is an upside to all the pandemic-induced Zooming we’ve been doing over the last year. Bleary-eyed screen time notwithstanding, the ubiquity of video conferencing has enabled people separated by thousands of miles to connect with each other in real time and without the travel, location, and other logistical obstacles of meeting in person. At Loomis Chaffee, the age of Zoom has opened a world of possibilities. Teachers have brought guest speakers from around the world into their virtual classrooms, giving students exposure to first-hand perspectives they might not otherwise have encountered. Students have met with elected officials, engaged in congressional lob-
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Loomis Chaffee Magazine Spring 2021
bying, and worked with local community leaders in ways that distance and expense previously hindered. Parents on the other side of the country and the world have been able to participate in parent association events and discussions with the head of school that were only in-person before the pandemic. And without major rearrangements of their busy lives, alumni have engaged in meaningful ways with the school, their classmates, and current students. One might even describe these opportunities as thin bands of brightness around the edges of that giant fog of doom that has blotted out the metaphorical sun in the metaphorical skies for the last year.
At Loomis Chaffee, the age of Zoom has opened a world of possibilities.
