Grace Haupt ‘20
There isn’t a word or phrase to perfectly capture the mix of disappointment, longing, and gratitude that the student body feels since quarantine began.
Most missed are the friendly faces seen in the hallways and on the fields everyday. Michael Wennemer ’21 captures the general sadness of the student body, as the two things he misses most about EA are “seeing…friends every day and being able to compete on the…field with my teammates.” The little moments, like catching up with someone in the lounge or exchanging high fives on the green or laying on your dean’s couch, have been made impossible with social distancing. Part of what makes them so special is that they are irreplaceable.
Specific moments have been robbed from us, too. Spring sports, from track and baseball to lacrosse and crew and everything in between, have been suspended. Production on the spring musical has likewise been suspended. Extracurricular culminations have been “postponed indefinitely.” EA’s Varsity Mock Trial Team qualified for States for the first time in six years, only for it to be canceled. Jocelyn Andrews ‘20 says, “We [had] a really special team [this year]. We didn’t think we were going to qualify, and initially thought we had lost in the first round, so we were all excited.”
There is also great sorrow caused by the cancellation of Chapel. All speeches have been postponed, including several retirement speeches and a senior speech. Erin Boyle ‘20 describes her immense disappointment at losing the chance to give her senior speech, saying, “It was supposed to be on my birthday, and I was so prepared thanks to the teachers that helped me through the process.” The Vestry and Chaplain Tim Gavin are currently hard at work on solutions.
As seniors, March, April, and May are our last three months at EA. Now it has moved online. The immense loss of opportunities to seniors cannot, I’m afraid, be overstated. Seniors miss EA and wanted to spend their final moments as students with the people who make this community truly great.
Part of me wishes that I had known that March 12th would be my last day of classes at EA. That I spent my last moments in my dean’s office. That I had attended my last Scholium meeting and my last in-person Vestry meeting, my final Mock Trial practice and my last Junto debate. I wish I had one more chance to go to Friday morning Eucharist, to attend another Fiddler rehearsal, to go to homeroom and give my advisor a hug.
All these feelings of mourning are valid. But as someone wise once advised me: “Don’t be upset forever. You are too wonderful to wallow for long.” I think the only way to move forward is to see what can be gained from this new environment.
The opportunity to be grateful has presented itself to us, and many students are seizing it. Pepper Claytor ‘23 says, “[Quarantine has given] me a new perspective on things I took for granted.”
Anna Lee ‘20 remembers the maxim, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” and she adds, “Rather than dwelling on what we have temporarily lost, I want to focus on the everlasting memories I made. From the people I’ve met, to writing emails in broken French, or just asking ‘Ça va?’ whenever I could.” Students are immensely grateful for all the time and effort their teachers put into each and every day. Learning has changed, but our gratitude is still here.
EA has tried to be as understanding and accommodating as possible given the situation. Seniors such as Arielle Ketchum ‘20 appreciate the school’s prom and graduation contingency plans ”because it’s good to know they are thinking of us [students].”
There is more time than ever to stay connected with friends, family, teachers, and mentors. Yes, the connection is virtual, but conferencing platforms abound to recapture what makes Episcopal so special: the people. As Lee so eloquently put it, “Home is not a place; home is made up of the people within that place. This is what makes Episcopal’s community so strong, and this entire experience has reminded me why I am so blessed to have been a part of it for nearly fourteen years.”
While we are not physically together, the only way to move through these difficult times is by holding tightly to the connections we can make.