Looking Back on COVID-19 58. Alumnus of the Year

LOOKING BACK & MOVING FORWARD

Planning for the 2020-21 school year often felt as though we were building on quicksand. Experts had new warnings for us daily, causing us to reflect upon what we do as educators; there were times we felt as though nothing we were used to doing would work during the anomalous time we faced. We were planning for the unknown while remaining laser-focused on our goal of getting our school family back together.

Our newly created department pressed pause on our original plans for the spring and summer of 2020 and focused all of our energy into helping plan and support a safe return to campus. We designed our pathways approach, allowing families to choose what worked best based on their individual circumstances. Knowing our approach meant facilitating both off-campus and in-person learning, we worked to help reimagine everything from the use of classroom supplies to how students would submit assignments. Our most important and rewarding work, however, was the opportunity to work alongside teachers to discover instructional techniques that would allow us to provide the best educational opportunity for every student no matter what pathway he or she chose. Many of the approaches utilized out of necessity will continue to be implemented as we move beyond COVID-19.

As I try to put into words why UMS-Wright was successful in such a tumultuous time, my mind drifts back to an exercise we did as a full faculty a few years ago. Reflecting on pictures of our students, we worked to describe the qualities our students possess that set them apart from others. Innovation. Independence. Courage. Discipline. Confidence. Intensity of effort. Perseverance. We would be unable to develop these qualities in our students without a faculty that also possesses them. It is because of our faculty’s solidarity, dedication, positivity, grit and determination that UMS-Wright came together stronger than ever.

Patricia Boehm | Director of Curriculum and Instruction & Associate Head of School

Remote Ready from day one.

Astrong computer network is one that is resilient and can quickly overcome any challenge or disruption. The UMS-Wright Technology Department believes strongly that the school’s network must be resilient and agile to meet current and future needs. This philosophy was challenged in the spring of 2020 as the pandemic caused the unprecedented implementations; however, the years of developing a resilient and agile system paid dividends as UMS-Wright was able to make a seamless transition to online learning. This remained true throughout the 2020-2021 school year as teachers were able to teach synchronously to students both in the classroom and at home.

However, UMS-Wright’s greatest asset is its teachers. The past year has been challenging, but our excellent staff was able to overcome the challenge quickly. Not only were they able to acclimate to the sudden changes, but they also modeled to their students a flexible, creative behavior that was ready to face new challenges. We can have the best technology systems, but the true lifeblood of the school is teachers of the highest caliber who educate our students in mind, body, and spirit. The UMS-Wright Technology Department is proud to serve and support such an amazing group of educators.

The 2020-2021 school year was a year like no other. We learned many valuable lessons during the pandemic, and none were as crucial as learning the value of trust. Our Leadership Team began planning for the school year and opening safely almost as soon as we were ordered to close our campus in March of 2020. We listened to the guidance of our medical advisory board, top school physicians, healthcare workers, and our local Mobile County Health Department contacts.

Garrett Humphrey, Director of Campus Safety and Security, was given the task of navigating UMS-Wright’s COVID-19 procedures and policies by Head of School Doug Barber and the Leadership Team. In addition, Kelly McPhillips was assigned to provide her much needed expertise in data organization and communications. Mr. Barber requested two things from the COVID-19 team, total transparency and that we operate according to the health experts and CDC guidance.

Together, Garrett, Kelly, and the Leadership Team established a COVID-19 reporting system and created response procedures when a positive case was identified in the school. A COVID-19 dashboard with daily updates for parents to review was constructed, and Mr. Humphrey conducted COVID-19 training for all faculty, as well as implementing mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of infection. Some examples of the response procedures included ensuring social distancing, mask use, immediate isolation, contact tracing, and positive ion sanitization of the classroom. In addition, UMS-Wright provided the individuals' parents with campus return guidance and provided the students with remote learning access.

As rigorous as our policy and procedures were, they would not have succeeded without the support from our UMS-Wright families. UMS-Wright trusted parents to report signs and symptoms, and in turn, parents entrusted UMS-Wright to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for their children. Last school year was truly a team effort, and the UMS-Wright family rose to the challenge.

Garrett Humphrey | Director of Safety and Security Kelly McPhillips | COVID-19 Response Team

Thankful.

"The preparation, safety protocols, communication, and transparency of the administration and faculty were impressive and comforting to us as parents. We felt that the UMS-Wright campus was one of the safest places for our son, and we are grateful for the opportunity for him to return to campus. The students, parents, faculty, and staff have all rallied around and supported one another during this difficult time, and we love being a part of the UMS-Wright family!" - Beth Liles, Current Parent

"I felt that UMS-Wright went ABOVE and BEYOND to make sure they had safety as one of the top priorities when it came to having our children back on campus. My biggest takeaway last year was that our children needed to be in school physically and not virtually. With all the changes in the past year, our children needed normalcy." - Jasmine Sayyad-Qasim '97, Current Parent

"Our biggest takeaway from last school year was GRATITUDE - that our son's school chose to meet this COVID-19 nightmare head-on smartly and safely, and continued to provide an education as well as a sanctuary for its students. UMS-Wright demonstrated that it had an informed, organized, and effective safety protocol in place. With all of the uncertainty that the world has faced since March of 2020, UMSWright was a stabilizing force in our lives." - Alison Dorriety Neumann '88, Current Parent