Almost every weekend since September, CA has offered spaces for students to connect, both online and in-person. Although academic schedules have switched between virtual and hybrid settings, these events are places where students can have fun, spend time with peers, and get to know other classmates. Some of the most popular events, including evening socials, movie nights, Club Expo, and the Junior Class Talent Show, continue to represent the strength of the CA community through their high participation and success.
But as we enter colder, and snowier winter months, outdoor weekend events pose a challenge. CA hopes, however, to make the proper adjustments in order to engage as many students as possible. In December, the usage of tents, fire pits, and hot chocolate trucks were extremely beneficial to the overall wellbeing of those who attended weekend festivities and will continue to be taken into consideration as we enter the new year.
Some of CA’s best traditions, such as Winterfest and Senior Coffeehouse, are coming up, but unfortunately cannot look like they typically would in a corona-free world. While these events may have to be held virtually, there are conversations in the student life office around how these events could be held in-person, and what that would look like.
Brett Kelly, the director of student activities, explains how currently, he is earmarking other upcoming events, such as the Senior Transition Seminar, GRIT’s Tech Conference, and Model UN meets, with optimism. Each activity is taken into careful consideration as an in-person option before being mimicked online. For future events, the student life office welcomes recommendations and opinions from student leaders, faculty members, along with neighboring schools who are facing similar decisions.
Kelly hopes to continue with one in-person and one virtual event per weekend in the short term, but post-spring break, he is considering the idea of multiple in-person events, some of them being off-campus. Whether these trips are snow tubing, hiking, or other types of outdoor activities, he is striving to incorporate safe strategies with exciting adventures as soon as possible!
Over the past few months, CA has tried to be as flexible and fluid with their schedule and student life, considering rapidly changing updates with the coronavirus. While many plans are simply at the idea stage at this point, Concord Academy is open to any ideas, suggestions or comments about ways to improve the student life experience, while complying with state guidelines and the Concord Pact.