2 minute read
A Note from Our Superintendent
Larry Francois, Anacortes
It likely wouldn’t come as a surprise or understatement to suggest that few, if any, of us could have predicted a year ago the journey a global pandemic would take us on over the ensuing months. When we went into lockdown, I like many, presumed that by the start of summer – or certainly by the start of the 2020-21 school year – life would return to something that looked more like the old normal than the new normal. Clearly, that was a wildly misplaced notion.
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Over the past year, the sources of exasperation, disappointment, and pain have been numerous: students and staff confined to a largely remote learning environment that has been lacking for many; a fire hose of guidance and directives from multiple branches of government that often seem disjointed and constantly shifting; very real and growing concerns about the mental and physical toll being exacted by prolonged physical and social isolation; endless Zoom sessions where the two-dimensional interface and video and audio muting options can make the simplest of interactions exhausting; and of course the tragic loss of life as nearly 1 in every 600 Americans, and counting, have perished from a silent and insidious virus. This list no doubt barely scratches the surface of the challenges we’ve collectively endured over the past year. It’s been a hard time.
Yet recent weeks have brought a growing sense of optimism that we’re seeing the beginning of the end. Growing rates of vaccination certainly play a huge part in this. So too does the collective experience and knowledge that has been built over the past year about what works to reduce the rates of virus transmission. Oddly, in a time when necessity has dictated that we must limit our social interactions and connections to stay safe, those same preventative measures have also required us to be more mutually dependent and reliant on each other than ever before.
Washing hands, wearing masks, and keeping distance work most effectively when we all follow those practices. Taking those health and safety measures seriously is as much about the wellness of a complete stranger as it is about your own health and safety. It is collective action for the general good at its finest.
Maybe it’s just my excitement at seeing a pathway back to greater normalcy, but I have sensed in recent weeks a definite and positive change in our willingness and commitment to each other. I believe we’re seeing the results of that in lowered community infection rates and more kids receiving in-person instruction. That same sense of collective action for the common good will be sorely needed as we contemplate all that will be required to reintegrate all students and staff back into our schools. They will need our best energy and commitment more than ever in the coming months and years. The efforts and emphasis will be different than the past year, but the work will nonetheless be just as challenging, if not more so. Together, I am confident in our ability to join hands and hearts for the collective benefit of those who have been most impacted by the disruption to learning of the past year. We’ve got this…I’m sure of it!
Larry Francois
NWESD Superintendent
You have a role to play. Check out guidelines from the CDC about choosing safe activities whether you’re fully vaccinated or unvaccinated.
