— Navigating a Pandemic —

Recapping Dr. Porges’ tenure would not be complete without mentioning the pandemic. From March 2020 and for the 202021 and 2021-22 school years, Baldwin was fortunate to have her leadership alongside the support of our Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty and staff, all our families and students and many other members of the community, as we navigated this challenge.

It became clear that Baldwin had numerous advantages, including a purposefully small student body, a relatively large campus space and the renowned expertise, creativity and adaptability of our faculty and staff. Extensive research, planning and collaboration allowed us to welcome students back to campus in Fall 2020, providing in-person learning for all students, five days a week for normal school day hours, while also offering virtual learning options.

To make this happen safely, we transformed Baldwin’s campus. Classrooms were spread across all spaces, including in the Residence, Dining Room and the Assembly Room, and we set up WiFi-enabled outdoor classroom, too. Handwashing stations, ventilation fans, social distancing signage, tents and new outdoor furniture also helped keep everyone healthy.

The transformation continued in class, where our committed faculty embraced new technology and new approaches to teaching to keep all students engaged in learning and connected with their Baldwin sisters. Using webcams, headset microphones, online whiteboards and countless other digital tools, Baldwin brought together the community in physical and virtual spaces, kept up students’ academic progress and found creative ways to support our girls emotionally and socially.

It took a lot for Baldwin to so successfully navigate the pandemic, including the creation of a new Wellness Team, additional staff to support in-person and online learning, input from a Head of School-led task force of school leaders and area medical experts and the unparalleled commitment of our teachers, students and families. We are grateful that Dr. Porges was “captain of our ship” during this extraordinary time.