4.17.20

There is much being written about the sense of loss that we are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. I recently read an interview in the Harvard Business Review with David Kessler, who is an expert on grief. Kessler explores the sense of grief we are all feeling at this time:

“...We’re feeling a number of different griefs. We feel the world has changed, and it has. We know this is temporary, but it doesn’t feel that way, and we realize things will be different. The loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll; the loss of connection. This is hitting us and we’re grieving. Collectively. We are not used to this kind of collective grief in the air.”

I have been reflecting on the losses our students are experiencing now: the loss of being in the company of friends and teachers, the loss of running around our playground, and the loss of field trips and activities that are rites of passages at our school. I think ofwhat our 8th-grade class, the Class of 2020, has lost this spring. This is the largest graduating class in FCS’s history with 31 students, 14 of whom are “lifers” who started FCS in Kindergarten.

They are children. I remember going to Catoctin and watching them play with each other in the ’goon. Their laughter, joy, and delight echoed in the woods.

They are creative and athletic. They are swimmers, lacrosse players, softball and baseball players, dancers, painters, singers, actors, chess players, ice hockey players. They use their minds, souls, and bodies to create, compete, and inspire.

They are entrepreneurs. Every Friday, with gloves on, cash boxes out, and stacks of boxes of pizza, they serve lunch to younger students. With focus and determination, they counted the money they collected, which was to pay for their class trip to Ocean City in May.

They are role models. Every Wednesday at Meeting for Worship, they sit and worship, often with a younger student leaning on their shoulders or imitating their bowed heads and closed eyes.

They are compassionate human beings. They studied the Holocaust and read Elie Weisel’s Night. They were horrified to learn that genocide still occurs in the modern age and they cried at the Holocaust Museum, saddened by the atrocities inflicted on other human beings.

They are scholars. They have embraced and excelled in their academic pursuits. They have been accepted to 23 independent, parochial, and public magnet programs in D.C., Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County. They have been awarded over $189,000 in academic and band scholarships.

They are ours. Please join me in applauding them and celebrating their accomplishments.

We are planning for graduation and end-of-the-year events for our 8th graders, preparing multiple scenarios as we await directives from the Governor’s office and CDC in the coming weeks.

We are grateful to Adriana, and the 8th grade advisors, Kiersten, Jennie, Dan, and all our teachers who have nurtured, encouraged, inspired, and launched this class into adolescence, high school, and beyond.

In peace,

Angela

Class of 2020 - High School Acceptances

Academy of the Holy Cross (2), Blythe Templeton Academy, DeMatha Catholic High School (4), Edmund Burke (5), Eleanor Roosevelt Science & Technology Program (4), Elizabeth Seton (18), Field School (3), George School, Georgetown Day School (2), Gonzaga College High School (2), Indian Creek, Key School (3), Maret School, Montgomery County Blair Communication Arts Program, Our Lady of Good Counsel (2), Prince George’s County Duvall Aerospace Program (5), Sandy Spring Friends School (10), School Without Walls (2), St. Anselm's Abbey School (2), St. John's College High School (7), St. Vincent Pallotti High School, Stone Ridge, Washington Latin

Back