Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Last Wednesday, Fr. McGarry, S.J., and I had the opportunity to greet our students and families at the Marauder Take Over at the Drive-In event. We walked among the rows of cars and spoke with our guests on their experience at Jesuit so far this year. We were both struck by the overwhelming messages of gratitude and praise, especially for the teachers. We are also reminded of our collective longing for community and togetherness. 

Your comments at the event last week reminded us that our mission is alive and well in the dedicated work of our teachers. The faculty has been asked to make big changes and step into the unknown with synchronous distance learning, and every bit of anecdotal feedback we have received so far indicated that the experience we are offering right now is as academically rigorous and as life-giving as possible under the circumstances. 

We are thankful that our teachers embraced the need to lower class sizes and provide a more intimate learning experience by adding an additional class to their course load even in the remote environment. We are blessed that the faculty also spent much of the summer planning and preparing to be effective in this environment and to build community whenever possible. The student-teacher relationship has always been a crucial element of Jesuit education.  So let us take some time to share a clear message of thanks and support for the teachers, who are making it all happen. In your own way, perhaps consider how you might share a message or token of support with a teacher.

Together in faith,

Dr. Michael Wood, Ed.D., Principal | JHS Class of 1999

Next Week’s Calendar At-A-Glance