4.19.20 ESJ Update and Commencement Plan

Dear Episcopal Family,

I pray that this letter finds you safe and well. I pray also that you and your loved ones are not only physically healthy, but that you have been able to find comfort and support from each other, from our Episcopal community, and from the faith that guides us through such incredibly challenging times as we are experiencing now.

As I write to you today, we could not be more proud of what you have accomplished since we began remote learning — our students who have embraced their academic and extracurricular classes with excitement, grit, and determination; our faculty who have worked so hard each and every day to embrace new learning platforms and ways of teaching that have made school so vibrant; our staff who have worked tirelessly to make sure that Episcopal continues to operate efficiently and effectively even as they face new operational and logistical challenges; our parents who have stepped in to support their sons and daughters and continued to support our school even while they have had to face work, health, and life challenges of their own. We are proud of what you have done so far, and we are grateful for our Episcopal family.

We received news last night that per Governor DeSantis’s guidance, all schools will remain in remote learning protocol through the end of the school year. For Episcopal, this means we will continue to fully engage in all school classes and extracurricular activities as we have been doing through May 20. We will also follow the protocol for year end assessments and the schedule sent to the community last week. We know that this is very disappointing news — particularly for our senior class — but we also know that all the hard work we are doing now will serve us incredibly well when we celebrate our return to campus on August 11 for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

With great hope, I want to share with you our plans for Senior Honors Convocation, Baccalaureate, and Commencement. Subject to future state and local guidance, and being very conscious of the health, safety, and well-being of our students, families, faculty, and staff, we plan to hold these most important year end events in the early morning of Friday, May 22, and Saturday, May 23, on the River Field. This will provide us a beautiful venue to celebrate together, while at the same time providing us enough space for safe social distancing.

• On Friday morning, we will gather for a combined Senior Honors Convocation and Baccalaureate service.
• On Saturday morning, we will gather to celebrate our Commencement for the Class of 2020.
• Both of these events will be live streamed in order for those not able to attend in person to still be able to view the ceremonies.
• Should May 22 and May 23 still not be feasible from a health and safety standpoint, we are holding Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, as fall back dates for the same plan.

More details of this plan will follow over the coming two weeks, but I wanted to let you know this good news now. I also wanted to let you know that at this time we are planning on offering our full program of Episcopal academic and camp opportunities. If we are not able to offer on-campus academic programs this summer, all courses will be offered in a remote learning format for full credit.

Eagles, because of you our school is thriving even in the midst of such difficult circumstances. Because of you, we have become an even stronger community even while we are forced to be physically apart. Because of you, and your continued support, we will continue to be a light that shines through this time of darkness until we are physically reunited and together again.

With my heartfelt blessings,

The Rev. Adam Greene
Head of School