NAVIGATING A PANDEMIC On campus in the year of COVID

on campus in the year of COVID

Pace Can Do This!

ON MARCH 12, 2020, Head of School FRED ASSAF sent an email to all Pace Academy families announcing a move to remote learning due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in Georgia. “At this point, we plan to conduct school via digital platforms for the next two weeks,” Assaf wrote. He continued: “There are too many details to cover in an email this late in the night, but what needs to be said is: We can do this!”

As two weeks turned into two months, the 2019–2020 school year concluded virtually, and students returned to a masked and modified campus in August, Assaf’s statement became something of a mantra for the Pace community.

Parents, students, faculty and staff shared photos of virtual learning experiences using the hashtag #PaceCanDoThis, and parents, unable to visit campus due to COVID protocols, followed on-campus activities via social media and school updates. Assaf and Board of Trustees Chair ELIZABETH CORRELL RICHARDS took to Zoom at various points throughout the year to report on progress, protocols and future plans, and the Pace community adjusted to its new normal.

As 2021 dawned, so too did the hope for an effective vaccine. When the state began offering vaccines to those 65 and older, Assaf and the school’s COVID Response Team partnered with MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service to ensure that eligible faculty and staff were on the list. Then, in March, nearly a year to the day after the move to remote learning, the remaining faculty and staff who chose to be vaccinated received their first doses.

“As I reflect on this past year, there are no words to fully express my gratitude to each and every one of you,” Assaf wrote to all Pace employees. “You have tackled every challenge with patience and grace, always putting our students at the center. I know that you are tired, and I truly hope that this miraculous milestone… signals the end of our COVID era.”

At print time, all faculty and staff who wished to receive inoculations were fully vaccinated, and more than 250 Upper School students and parents received their shots on campus, thanks again to the school’s partnership with MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service.

In an April 27 virtual address, the last of the school year, Assaf and Richards announced plans to be fully in person with the start of the 2021–2022 school year. “While much still remains unknown, we do know that we will do whatever is necessary to keep children in school in person,” Assaf reported. Because, after all, Pace can do this. l