Dear St. Mary's Community,

This past week, as Mr. Angeramo and I finished our monthly meeting with our Parent Advisory Council, Mike Richman said: It's a great time to be a Spartan!

I know St. Mary's has sent out a lot of information about our Care for All plan that we have in place to keep students, staff and teachers safe. I appreciate all those who have written grateful notes about all we are doing. But I also appreciate those who shared their concerns and asked: "What will life be like at St. Mary's this year?"

I also share these concerns. But I also want to ensure everybody life at St. Mary's will be awesome. I agree with Mike Richman! In fact, I think this academic year will make a bigger impact on students' lives than ever before. 

For over 135 years our mission is to educate students within a community of faith and scholarship, and that mission is needed more than ever right now. Our school is open, and we are working every day to make sure we serve our students well. And our students have made clear, from their performance this week, that they are all in.

Community. Human beings are hard-wired for community. This time of Covid-19, with the lockdown followed by restrictions, has struck at the heart of what it means to be human. We need each other, for our emotional, mental and even our physical health.

Our St. Mary's commitment to community is a core value driving all of our decisions to keep our school open, keep it safe, and keep us together. The behavior of our students this past week has been outstanding. It is clear to the administration that our students want to see their friends. They want to be here in-person.

Faith. In many of the places where our students live, the sacraments have been unavailable or severely restricted since March. Our faith life is at the core of our personal identity.

Father Brian and Mr. McDuffee are preparing plans to give students the faith opportunities that are so critical by adding opportunities for class Masses and other faith driven activities.

Scholarship. As we all discovered last spring, there is no substitute for learning in a classroom, face to face, not through a computer screen. Students learn best in the presence of their teachers and in community with their peers, so we will do whatever it takes to make that possible.

This is why 90% of our students chose to experience their classes this semester in person. For the school this means extra cleaning to make sure our academic spaces are disinfected. It means wearing masks and keeping some distance. But it also means we can learn together, in the best way available. For the administration and our board of trustees, it is all worth it.

I know the mitigation rules are detailed and frustrating, but for most students, the Care for All plan really boils down to: Wear your mask, wash your hands and keep your distance.

I have full confidence that we will keep doing this, because our students are special people. We have their families to thank for that. Spartans look out for each other, and they see difficulties as a call to serve.

It is exciting to see the resourcefulness of our community as it meets a new challenge with imagination and determination. This week I congratulate our St. Mary's community on a great performance in reopening our school, and I ask you to continue to stay vigilant so we can stay together.

Forward, Always Forward,
Dr. Dolan