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Head of School Message
Saint Mary's endures, succeeds in 2020
By Brendan J. O'Shea, Head of School
Dear Members of the Saint Mary’s Community,
What a strange, unpredictable and rather wild ride 2020 has provided all of us. Just a year ago when 2020 began, none of us could have predicted the challenges and issues we would face at Saint Mary’s, in Raleigh, in our country, and around the world. Though it’s been a year full of surprises and continual challenges, we’ve also grown during this time. We’ve all learned that flexibility is paramount, compassion is essential, and communication is more important than ever. The entire Saint Mary’s community has responded like true Saints. With all that we have faced, Saint Mary’s continues to endure and succeed.
There are many, many people to acknowledge and thank for their efforts to keep Saint Mary’s going strong. Our team of employees at Saint Mary’s has been essential to the institution’s success. Each and every member of the team has adjusted to different protocols and standards, from sanitizing public spaces several times a day to delivering instruction virtually. No one’s job is exactly that same as it was a year ago. We must acknowledge it has not always been easy over the last ninth months, wearing a face mask and maintaining social distance guidelines. For a community built on connections and relationships, this has been a challenging and frustrating time. We enjoy each other’s company, after all! However, the creative juices of many community members have delivered innovative ways to stay connected as evidenced by newfound uses for numerous outdoor spaces on our attractive 23-acre campus.
Our students deserve massive credit for allowing Saint Mary’s to complete the fall season with on-campus, in-person learning. It is well-known that universities in our immediate area were not so fortunate and public high schools in our county remained virtual all fall. Other independent day schools in the area shared similar success with Saint Mary’s. Our demographic, with a mix of boarding and day students, brings many added layers of complexity to the situation. Time and time again, our girls stated they were thrilled to be on campus with each other, and while maintaining protocols was sometimes aggravating, the in-person experience far outweighed any inconvenience was far outweighed by the in-person experience.
Parents of our current students must be acknowledged and thanked as well. In order to keep the flow of visitors to campus to a manageable level, parents have not been able to attend athletic contests and a plethora of other school events such as Family Day, school awards assemblies, Junior Ring Ceremony and Lighting O’ the Grove. On the bright side, parents have mastered new skills such as participating in online meetings and live streaming events from Saint Mary’s!
Finally, a major “thank you” is due to our alumnae from across the country. Support from alumnae takes numerous forms – spiritual support through prayer, crucial word-of-mouth support through telling our story, and financial support through our annual fund. Each of these support mechanisms is invaluable. And though most alumnae are not on campus daily, your presence is felt here through the many traditions we cherish and by the support you provide to our students through your generosity of spirit and resources.
So, as we usher in a new calendar year, know that Saint Mary’s is made for the long haul. With a year like 2020 behind us, we are confident we can manage the challenges future years will present. After all, Saint Mary’s has been blazing a trail since 1842. We’re ready for many more good years. Bring it on! Let’s Go Saints!
After COVID-19 abruptly shut down the campus in March 2020 leading to virtual learning for the remainder of the 2010-2020 school year, Saint Mary’s School staff and faculty spent the summer preparing diligently to reopen for on-campus learning and living in a time like no other in fall 2020. With extensive protocols, systems, logistics, resources, and adaptations to facilities for health and safety in place, Saint Mary's masked up and opened the gates to students in early September and successfully completed three months of in-person learning in the fall of 2020 with less than a handful of COVID cases. School was scheduled to reopen in January for the spring semester on campus with a continued commitment to the necessary safety protocols for as long as it takes. The planning was informed by the following guiding principles: • a focus on the health and safety of the Saint
Mary’s community; • feasible, practical, and acceptable guidelines for our unique school community; • human-centered and equitable design; and • excellence in all programs.
In addition, the school consulted with and continues to study guidance from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Resources (NCDHHS), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), Oberlin Road Pediatrics (Saint Mary’s healthcare provider), and Eurofins Scientific.
School leaders, faculty, and staff thoughtfully designed a comprehensive plan to deliver an excellent educational experience while being responsive to changing circumstances based on local and state guidelines and mandates.
“Saint Mary’s remains committed to our mission to prepare girls for college and life,” says Head of School Brendan O’Shea. “To that end, a learning plan has been designed for this extraordinary year to ensure the continued delivery of a premier, collegepreparatory education.” Saint Mary’s has relied successfully on all members of the school community to abide by the safety and health guidelines to maintain a healthy school environment including some core guidelines.
MOBILE APP HEALTH CHECK-IN All students and employees self-screen and report daily each morning before coming to or moving about campus on the school-sponsored Ascend app for symptoms or exposure related to COVID-19. The daily reporting includes answering a series of questions and temperature. If a respondent receives
a green check on the app, they may proceed normally. If they receive a red X, they stay at home or in an isolation room until they are put into the COVID testing protocols and follow-up.
SOCIAL DISTANCING ON CAMPUS All community members are expected to practice six-foot social distancing throughout campus. Campus facilities, classrooms, dining hall, and even outdoor meeting spaces have been adapted for the six-feet rule. Program modifications have been made when social distancing is not possible as in all-school gatherings such as chapel and assemblies, which are conducted via Microsoft Teams. Floor markings, signage, and directional markers are placed in all common and high traffic areas with limited capacity signs for community beside the door holding creatively patterned, freshly laundered masks the girls can grab on their way out.
SANITIZING AND CLEANING MEASURES Extensive cleaning measures and protocols are in place with housekeeping staff working long and dedicated hours to keep indoor spaces cleaned and disinfected to promote and provide a healthy environment. All classrooms and public spaces have a hand-sanitizer dispenser, a disinfectant bottle, and paper towels for cleaning during and after each use. The class schedule allows for regular hand washing throughout the day.
SCHOOL LIFE Modifications to campus life have allowed student activities, athletics, arts, and special traditions to continue. Students and staff have found creative
spaces such as lounges, parlors, dining hall, and classrooms. Furniture is placed in socially distant configurations in all public areas.
FACE COVERINGS IN PUBLIC SPACES Face coverings are mandatory in public spaces except while actively eating or drinking. In the dorms, boarding students may be in their room with their roommate with no mask, and visitors between dorm rooms are limited. Our students have embraced this rule with 100 percent compliance. A common sight in the dorm rooms are hooks and innovative ways to hold club meetings and inductions online or outdoors, virtual chapel services and assemblies, Spirit Week, and special events moved outdoors for fresh air and social distancing including class meetings, the junior class ring presentation ceremony, the Lighting O’ the Grove, arts performances, and more.
THE SCHOOL CALENDAR The first group of students, including international students and those with special circumstances, arrived early in August before school began for a
period of quarantining before the entire student body returned. Boarding students returned Labor Day weekend. A two-week period of virtual learning to start the year allowed time for students to settle into a bubble on campus or isolate with family at home before in-person classes began Sept. 8, 2020.
Following Thanksgiving break, the school transitioned to a period of virtual learning from Dec. 1 through Dec. 18. *Following the Christmas break, one week of virtual learning was scheduled to allow students to quarantine and test for COVID before returning to campus for in-person classes and activities scheduled to begin Jan. 11, 2021. Plans call for school to remain in session until Spring/ Easter Break, March 27-April 5, with COVID testing protocols required before students return for the remainder of the school year. circumstances, it may feel like a burden to make these sacrifices and follow the protocols, however these measures have given us the opportunity to maintain the community and connection we missed when we were apart last spring. I am grateful to come to campus each day while friends at other schools have continued to attend school virtually.
As we hold in our prayers all who have died, suffered, or are grieving a loss due to the virus, we are grateful for the extraordinary efforts of our
“We have followed the science in planning the calendar which told us we should be able to conduct in-person learning safely in the fall before the virus ramped up around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday months,” said Leslie Owen, dean of teaching and learning. “That ended up being accurate, and our students noticed and appreciated the timing Saint Mary’s planned for the semester.”
“Our efforts paid off,” wrote senior Pearce Burlington ’21 in an article in the most recent issue of the school newspaper, The Belles. “Under these unique students, faculty, staff, families, and friends who have made in person learning and living possible and successful this year.
*Dates for in person and virtual learning are subject to change depending on local and state guidelines.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
work underway at Saint Mary’s
Saint Mary’s has always had a focus on creating a community that reflects the backgrounds, experiences, identities, races, talents, and perspectives of the girls who have and will walk the halls of campus. We know that when girls support one another, they can accomplish big things together, and our vast alumnae base is evidence of that ideal.
We also know we have much work to pursue to bring awareness and actions to eradicate systemic racism, and we are committed to share with the extended alumnae community how we have been working together - and will continue to work together- to dismantle these systems. We invite all alumnae not only to join us in this work but also to share, to listen, to learn, and to ask questions.
Our goal is to develop and support the growth of every girl. We make this statement from knowing that by authentically accepting others and supporting each student to be accepting of others will help them forever in their lives, relationships, work, and making an impact on every community they will contribute to for the rest of their lives.
We know from research that students and adults thrive in environments where there are
differing viewpoints, where there is trust, and where the community consists of people from different backgrounds. We are exploring the implementation of more creative and collaborative work to find solutions while also supporting every member of the Saint Mary’s community to do their best work. This section of the alumnae portal will be a place where our alumnae can engage in that conversation as well as hear more about efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion that the students, faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees have embraced as an essential component of our identity.
By Carol Killebrew, assistant head of school Julie Ricciardi contributed to this article.
Focus Lens for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
A key element of Saint Mary’s Strategic Plan is to create a school community that reflects and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI). The Assistant Head will take a leadership role in the school’s efforts around DEI, clearly articulating the importance of these initiatives and weaving existing programs with new ideas to create a comprehensive program celebrating Saint Mary’s diverse community. We welcome Carol Killebrew into this role and support her efforts for Saint Mary’s.
CAROL KILLEBREW Assistant Head of School
ckillebrew@sms.edu
M.A. English, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee
B.A. Fine Art, University of the South Sewanee, Tennessee
Fulbright Summer Institute Italy Study Abroad
