March 23, 2020

Dear Senior Class,

I know this is not how we all thought we would start the spring of your senior year. While I don’t have control over the circumstances, I am sorry. I don’t know how quickly we will be back to normal, but I hope and pray it will be sooner than we think. You have every right to be disappointed and a little sad. You have every right to think this is not fair. I feel this for you. 

Over the last month, I have been focused on planning for this possibility as we began to see this on the horizon. That said, I can’t say I ever imagined this level of impact. We didn’t have a crystal ball then and we don’t have one now. 

While my heart breaks having to make difficult decisions on behalf of our community, canceling trips and postponing experiences, I am writing to ask you – The Class of 2020 – for your help. I need you to be the class you have been all year for our school community. You were 7th graders when I arrived at FRA six years ago. Even as a rag tag bunch in middle school, you proved to be a tough and resilient group. You have almost doubled in size over the years and have become the true leaders of our school community. During our advisory lunches this fall, I asked you two questions: what did you want for this year and how did you want to be remembered? I was overwhelmed by your collective responses:

  • You wanted the year to slow down so you could spend more time with each other. 
  • You wanted to set an example for the freshmen class about how to be kind to one another and to really build community.
  • You wanted to make a difference in our school community by looking out for younger kids.
  •  No one said, “I hope to be doing remote learning during a pandemic!” 

You guys have done these things all year in ways that are too innumerable to describe and now you have both the challenge and opportunity to go even further. That is why I need your help. As we go through this next stretch of time, I need you to continue leading our community—remotely. You will need to be creative and collaborative while NOT being together. You will have to set an example for our entire community and avoid your natural desire to spend time together in person and stay home for the greater good of the community. I know this will be hard. You guys love each other and enjoy hanging out, but we are all a part of something greater than ourselves and our collective actions matter. We are trying to slow the spread of this virus and you can set the example for the younger students in our community.

I need your leadership and your creativity as we figure out how to connect remotely. Social distancing is critically important and you can make it fun and cool. I hope you will work with Coach Dawson, Mrs. Bachert and Mr. Salato to create remote weekend events like virtual coffee houses, Madden tournaments, or online dance parties to pull our students together virtually. I hope you will work with your advisors to connect with your Angel Buddies and support our lower school families. I need you to start to imagine how to make this experience better for everyone, and I’d like you to think about how to make an impact across our community. I need to once again ask you two questions: what do you want for this year and how do you want to be remembered?

You have every right to be upset by the circumstances and feel frustrated, but I need you to be the Class of 2020 that I know you are. The class that puts others first and figures this out. I need you to be the class that sets an example not only for our school but for schools around the city and around the country. You guys were made for this time. Together, we got this! I am so proud of you!

Take care,

Mr. Casey