Important Message from Head of School John C. Warren '74

Dear St. Mark’s families,

As I reflect on the past three months and think about what has taken place over that time, it is hard to believe. The heinous killings of black Americans have brought the issues of police brutality and systemic racism into laser-sharp focus. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people around the world, with nearly a quarter of those deaths here in the United States. The U.S. unemployment rate increased 10 percent in one month. To say that the spring of 2020 has been a challenging time would be an enormous understatement.

And yet, as I look at the work that St. Markers have done this spring—faculty and staff members and students alike—I cannot help but be inspired. The pivot from in-person to remote learning happened at St. Mark’s, as it did at schools around the world, very quickly. At St. Mark’s, this transition, though not seamless, was made with thoughtfulness, creativity, attention to detail, and most importantly, with the needs of our students at the center of every decision we made.

Some of the results have been outstanding. From virtual collaboration among engineering students to inspired takes on the traditional chapel talk , our students showed that they were more than ready to meet the many challenges brought about by remote learning. Our faculty members, faced with teaching students spread over 17 time zones, developed strategies for both synchronous and asynchronous learning that yielded some truly great work . Our Prize Day Week , though not what any of us would have wished for, was a memorable time that brought our community together, and on Prize Day, the Rt. Reverend J. Clark Grew, Class of 1958, gave a speech that no one present will soon forget.

While we have not been able to process the recent killings and the recent violence as fully as we would have been able to do if we had been together physically as a community, I am proud of the deep reflection and sharing of perspectives that took place in early June and continues, led both by students and by faculty. St. Mark's believes that Black Lives Matter, and in keeping with our Episcopal values, believes that we must work ever harder to promote thinking by our students about what constitutes a just society. I look forward to the opportunity for our students and faculty to unpack the complexities of this topic in respectful dialogue this fall.

Over the course of the spring our COVID-19 Task Force, led by Ken Griffin, chief technology officer and director of emergency planning, and our Return to School Task Force, led by Samantha Brennan, dean of faculty and assistant head of school, have met regularly to address current concerns and future plans for St. Mark’s. As we look ahead to the 2020-2021 academic year, I have developed a third group—the Campus Opening Task Force—that is focused specifically on the details of opening the 2020-2021 academic year in a way that prioritizes the health and safety of our entire community and takes guidance on reopening procedures from local, state, and national guidelines and recommendations. I am personally chairing this task force, which meets weekly.

This summer, our faculty members will spend time in professional development sessions to prepare for an academic year that could unfold in a number of ways, the most likely being a hybrid of remote and in-person learning. We have listened carefully to the feedback we gathered from students, families, and faculty about this spring’s remote learning. Based on that feedback, our summer work focuses on planning that will leverage the very best of our relational, in-person approach, drawing on guidance from experts in the field about design for deep and active engagement. We are also making important updates to the design elements of our learning management system, Canvas, to ensure that online elements of our coursework are consistent and easy to navigate, and support the planning and organizational work students will do with the support of their faculty mentors.

Colleen Worrell, our director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, is overseeing this professional development work, drawing on her deep experience with online and hybrid learning. Colleen’s expertise, our attentiveness to what we heard about the spring, and the commitment of our faculty to do right by our students will ensure that in 2020-2021 St. Mark’s provides a best-in-class learning experience Monday through Friday, in our Saturday program, and in our advisory work. For our faculty, the care for, commitment to, and connection with our students makes a St. Mark’s education special, and this dedication will continue in the fall, no matter the mode of our teaching and learning program.

We are working diligently to reopen the campus fully, guided in all aspects of that effort by the advice of experts. In the meantime, I am confident in our ability to provide a high-quality education in whatever format is necessary.

The character and leadership skills we foster at St. Mark’s have never been more important than they are today. At St. Mark’s, we are committed more than ever to prepare our students to lead lives of consequence. That effort starts with an intentional promise from the St. Mark’s adult community to encourage and model a commitment to intellectual curiosity, character development, leadership, and service. Rest assured that our faculty members remain committed to delivering on this promise too, no matter what scenario or scenarios may unfold during this coming year.

COVID-19 has forced creativity on us at St. Mark’s, stretching us in positive ways. Innovations we have developed will continue in the months and years to come. COVID-19 has also called upon resilience, creativity, and self-discipline in ways that have made our students and our faculty and staff stronger. As a result, St. Mark’s is a stronger school as a result and will be a stronger school once we are all back together physically.

I am working closely with the Campus Opening Task Force on a detailed plan for the opening of the St. Mark’s 2020-2021 academic year. We all look forward to returning to our in-person community as soon as it is appropriate to do so. I look forward to sharing with you on or before July 15 our plans for the fall. I also hope to have some details to share then about the Fall 2020 athletic season. In the meantime, I thank you once again for your patience, your support, and your belief in St. Mark’s.

Sincerely,

John C. Warren ’74, Ed.D

Head of School

25 Marlboro Road, Southborough, MA 01772

www.stmarksschool.org

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