{"id":3619,"date":"2020-03-10T18:17:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T23:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/?p=3619"},"modified":"2020-03-10T18:17:53","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T23:17:53","slug":"what-if-coronavirus-comes-to-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/what-if-coronavirus-comes-to-grace\/","title":{"rendered":"What If Coronavirus Comes to Grace?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was written entirely before the announcement of a modified schedule for the rest of this school week.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had talked about it in the past,\u201d assured Mr. Davison, Head of School, when asked about the contingency plan he introduced to the Grace community in the event the school shuts down. A potential closure is due to the rising threat of coronavirus.<\/p>\n

Coronavirus, also known as novel coronavirus or COVID-19, is a mutated version of the virus that has been around before, meaning many people may have already had a variation of the illness. The disease primarily attacks the respiratory system, and the most common symptoms are coughing, fever, sore throat, and shortness of breath. The virus can lead to the common cold, or in worse cases, pneumonia.<\/p>\n

This coronavirus was first found in China, and is believed to have been spread from an animal, but which animal is still unknown. As 2020 began, the virus continued to spread; first throughout Asia, and then beyond. Now, there is at least one confirmed case on each of the six inhabited continents.<\/p>\n

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On Tuesday, February 25th, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) warned that coronavirus is more than likely to begin spreading in the U.S.: \u201cIt\u2019s not so much of a question of if this will happen in this country anymore but a question of when this will happen,\u201d said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. The answer to that question is becoming increasingly sooner rather than later. <\/p>\n

As of Sunday, March 1st, there are 76 reported cases in the U.S., and the first case in New York City has been confirmed. In just one week, those numbers have begun to change drastically. \u201cWe are already using lots of disinfectant,\u201d shared Mr. Davison, \u201cbut that\u2019s based on the regular flu.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of Sunday, March 8th, there are over 500 reported cases in the U.S. and 106 in the State of New York. With that, the virus is getting ever closer to the Grace community. This past weekend in a letter to the parents, faculty, and staff, Mr. Davison shared that, \u201cThere are four students – from the Lower, Middle, and High School divisions – who are currently self-quarantined. All are all either secondary or tertiary contacts,\u201d meaning none of these students have the virus themselves, nor have they been in contact with someone with the virus. However, this is a very telling representation of how COVID-19 is continuously spreading around the tri-state area. In light of this, Mr. Davison also noted that the level of disinfectant has changed to \u201chospital-grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the reality of coronavirus beginning to settle in, it leaves everyone with one question; what can I do to stay healthy? Acknowledging that it is a boring answer, High School Nurse, Vikki King exclaimed, \u201cWash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.\u201d Vikki has also been busy putting up more Purell dispensers around the 46 building.<\/p>\n

With signs around all around the school saying \u2018Wash Your Hands,\u2019 the students and faculty have clearly received this message. Ms. Grafton, HS History, said that \u201cI\u2019ve been washing my hands more, especially when I get off the subway.\u201d Similarly, Tess D. \u201820 shared that \u201cI\u2019ve been taking a lot longer to wash my hands, making sure I\u2019ve been taking at least 30 seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n

While washing our hands is certainly one of the first lines of defense we have against the spreading of this virus, it is not the only measure that can and should be taken. \u201cSneeze into your elbow, cough into your elbow. Stay hydrated, stay rested, and stay away from people who are coughing,\u201d shared Vikki, who also added that you can turn this situation into a positive. \u201cYes, the virus is here, but what can we do about it? Take care of yourself. Maybe redo your diet. Start drinking green juices, take your vitamins, get more exercise. Take your stress level down, because the minute you start stressing, your immune system goes down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For those who remain on the calmer side surrounding coronavirus, preparation feels to be the most important thing as of now. When asked if he felt anxious or worried, Nicholas D. \u201820 said, \u201cnot at the moment, but I understand that something bad could happen.\u201d The always cheery Dana, High School Student and Family Coordinator, shared that, \u201cI\u2019m not really an alarmist, so I\u2019m just waltzing around here like everything is going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spencer A. \u201820 is someone who currently is mixed between calm and worried; \u201cI feel like we should be somewhat anxious, and we should always be precautious, but we shouldn\u2019t be in full-fledged panic mode.\u201d <\/p>\n

Sahil S. \u201822 is finding himself in a much more nervous state; \u201cI\u2019m worried that by touching a door that everyone in the building has touched, I\u2019m going to get really sick.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ms. Dilley, HS Science, shared that, \u201cit doesn\u2019t help that my advisory loves to talk about coronavirus, and we just read updates to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is one question that has been on everyone\u2019s mind: will Grace have to shut down?<\/p>\n

During an interview, Mr. Davison said he thinks, \u201cit\u2019s about a 20-25% chance [that the school has to shut down].\u201d The interview was conducted before the first case of coronavirus had been reported in the State of New York, as well as closures by other New York City Independent schools, either for cleaning or because a member of their community may be infected. However, Mr. Davison still maintains that figure in light of the escalation of COVID-19 around New York.<\/p>\n

Within a day of the CDC\u2019s warning to the U.S. regarding the virus, Mr. Davison sent out a letter to the parents explaining that the school was already prepared in the event of a school shut down. \u201cIf schools were to close, we would deploy a distance learning plan that would include work to do at home and class meetings with teachers on school days using an online conference tool,\u201d reads the letter.<\/p>\n

If Grace is forced to move to online schooling, for no matter what period of time, classes will run on somewhat of a condensed schedule. \u201cOur plan is not to have people try to teach every class as scheduled on Zoom,\u201d explained Mr. Davison. Zoom is the online video conferencing tool that Grace will use if the school closes, essentially allowing students to \u2018FaceTime\u2019 into class. For the High School, each class would have one meeting per cycle of about 40 to 60 minutes. The other two meetings scheduled for that cycle would take the form of a one-on-one check-in between the teacher and the student.<\/p>\n

The homework flow and rigor of grading assignments will not change in the event of distance learning; \u201cA paper is a paper. A test is a test,\u201d noted Mr. Davison, \u201cnow, with GraceNet, Google Suite, and access to video conferencing technology, we really feel we can keep things running.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When discussing the distance learning plan with members of the faculty, they are certainly optimistic and hopeful of the opportunity it provides; however, just with almost everything involving the coronavirus, the unknown is paramount. \u201cI\u2019m never going to love it, but it\u2019s a good idea to keep some momentum going,\u201d shared Ms. Grafton. <\/p>\n

Many teachers have been trying to figure out what is the best way to make distance learning work for their classes. Mr. Todd, HS Visual Arts, does not benefit from the ease that a history or literature teacher might have in switching over to the online platform but has figured out a way that would allow his classes to stay on track; \u201cI can assign more assignments that are geared towards viewing and critically analyzing the art rather than making the art.\u201d Mr. Chan, HS Counselor, said he plans \u201cto have open office hours for students who want to talk about things\u201d in the event of a school shut down.<\/p>\n

While the administration has been active in preparing the teachers to use Zoom, little to none has been done to adequately prepare the students for this real possibility. Kaitlyn L. \u201820, one of a small minority of students who have already used Zoom in class, said it was really helpful to practice because \u201cI don\u2019t think I would\u2019ve been able to figure it out without the teacher\u2019s help.\u201d Evan B. \u201820, who has not used Zoom yet, expressed that \u201cit would be nice try it, so if we do have to use it for our classes, we know what to do.\u201d <\/p>\n

There is a level of interest in the prospect of distance learning from the student body, mixed with a realistic introspection of how effective it might be. \u201cIt might be nice, for a short period of time,\u201d shared Meekaya G. \u201821. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I would be able to make sure I was doing it, though.\u201d Spencer A. \u201820 said, \u201cI feel like it would definitely make things a lot more difficult, especially for the seniors\u2026 harder to focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also many potential negative knock-on effects from having to move to distance learning. Tess D. \u201820 pointed out how it could affect the STEM program immensely, not only this year but in school years to come as well. \u201cIt actually causes a lot of planning for the STEM classes,\u201d reflected Tess. \u201cI didn\u2019t really think about it because I was thinking history, literature, those will be fine, but I wasn\u2019t thinking about how difficult it will be for my science and math classes. And I wasn\u2019t thinking about the 10th grade; if they want to take AT Chemistry, they might not be able to because they don\u2019t know the material. It might be a big issue for kids who aren\u2019t graduating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another potential causality of a school shut down is graduation, which is currently scheduled for May 22nd. Ms. Carpenter, Dean of the Class of 2020, adamantly says, \u201cNothing can happen! I don\u2019t want to hear about anything happening that we won\u2019t have our celebrations and our together time. That\u2019s important to me.\u201d Humoring the possibility that graduation is not able to happen on its scheduled date, Mr. Davison assured that, \u201cWe will find a new date and have graduation. People will graduate!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A major point of concern surrounding the coronavirus, for the Grace community specifically, is spring break, which is just days away. It is common for families to travel to all areas of the world, but with the looming threat of COVID-19, many families are asking, should we still be traveling?<\/p>\n

Arjun T. \u201822 commented that \u201cI was going to go to California, but we are re-thinking our travel plans.\u201d Henry P. \u201821 similarly is going to California, but that is \u201cup in the air.\u201d Ms. F\u00e9lix, HS Spanish, said that her traveling over this break is \u201cvery unlikely.\u201d However, not all members of the community have decided to reign in their travel. Nicholas D. \u201820 shared that he is going to Jordan and actually made those plans just last week.<\/p>\n

Grace\u2019s own travel plans have been strongly affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The school was going to send two school trips this break to India and to Scotland, but those have since been canceled. \u201cThis was a scenario that we had hoped to avoid, but given the information we have at this moment, canceling the trips is the most prudent choice,\u201d Mr. Davison revealed.<\/p>\n

Ms. Ward, Director of International Exchange Programs, explained that \u201cwhat we have to take into account is just institutional liability. An individual\u2019s tolerance for risk is generally much higher than an institution\u2019s tolerance for risk, and that\u2019s for us. Our tolerance for risk is very low.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was the right decision on behalf of the school,\u201d reflected Frankie R. \u201822, who was supposed to go on the Scotland trip. \u201cI\u2019m obviously disappointed because I wanted to go, and I was excited, but I think it would\u2019ve been a really frightening situation to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

While spring break\u2019s unknowns remain ambiguous, there can be a positive to take from it. \u201cIf you can get away from negative news,\u201d that can be a benefit, shared Vikki, \u201cbecause everyone needs a mental break.\u201d At this time of heightened stress for all, not only with the virus but the end of the quarter as well; a healthy and rejuvenating break might be the best treatment for the Grace community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article was written entirely before the announcement of a modified schedule for the rest of this school week. \u201cWe had talked about it in the past,\u201d assured Mr. Davison,… Continue reading “What If Coronavirus Comes to Grace?”<\/span> <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":3621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[200,7],"tags":[648,649,652,180,651,653,654,650],"appful":[],"class_list":["post-3619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recent","category-school","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-distance-learning","tag-featured","tag-online-classes","tag-pandemic","tag-school-shut-down","tag-zoom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9uEnr-Wn","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/unnamed.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3619"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3630,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619\/revisions\/3630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3619"},{"taxonomy":"appful","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracegazette.org\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/appful?post=3619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}