Some people have reached out to me or some of our teachers and have been expressing various levels of emotion as they watch the protests, the clashes between law enforcement and citizens, and the increasingly hostile tone that seems to be emergent from a variety of emotions. As an educator, I listen, I express some thoughts, and I try to empathize, knowing full well that there is little I can say or do that will quell the intense emotions that people feel, with good reason. I was asked by a student this week how I felt about it, and I responded with one word, one of the first adjectives I learned as a kindergartner: sad.
I am sad that there are citizens of our nation who are denigrated and left to feel anxious about their very being, solely because of the color of their skin.
I am sad for the good members of law enforcement who keep us all safe and who are being mocked, harassed, or attacked.
I am sad for students who do not and cannot possibly understand what those in the cities are dealing with
I am sad for business owners who have already lost so much in the pandemic, who now must repair their places of work in uncertain times, and who were, in many ways, guilty of only having storefront on the wrong street, at the wrong time.
I am sad for our students who feel maligned and marginalized, because we strive so hard for equity and know that there are those who still feel as though they are on the fringe.
I am sad that there are former students out there who I did not reach, or that our community of educators struggled to reach, who harbor hateful beliefs.
I am sad that our staff who want to help cannot see those faces in their classrooms and make those immediate connections and have those conversations.
I am sad that the streets I so frequently wander in my favorite city (and cities) have been burned and vandalized, and I am sad that some of the very symbols of our country's freedom have been delegitimized.
I am sad for and with my friends of color who are angry.
And I am sad that there are so many people out there who are either ambivalent, or those who have the ability to affect real change who are silent, tone deaf, or, at worst, antagonistic and devoid of listening or empathizing with other perspectives.
So, we have to reconcile that sadness and do so without a phony happiness or cliched words. And yet I cannot remain neutral. Elie Wiesel, one of my heroes, once wrote: "We must take sides. Silence helps only the oppressor, never the oppressed. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the victim."
It is in that spirit that I am so proud of the students who reached out to our staff with questions, who wanted to discuss ways they can improve the world, and who want to support peaceable action - for all of us. The sadness we feel in seeing the discontent in our streets may not evaporate that quickly, but I know that we all cling to hope for a better tomorrow - for all of us. It is that commitment that I promise we will continue to bring to UHS every day - for all of us. And it is that pledge - to listen, to support, to assuage, to validate - that we will hopefully use to make this a better world. For all of us.
Pickup of Materials
Here are dates and times for pickup of materials, for our seniors and our underclassmen. We will reach out if students either owe the school anything or if there is anything in the school's possession that students can pick up.
The procedure will be that students will come to the building in vehicles. Please have a piece of paper with the student's name and grade on it. Any item(s) being returned will be handed to someone at the front of the building, and anything we have for the students will be brought out and placed in the vehicle through a window or in the trunk.
Tuesday, June 9: Senior pickup
A-E: 9-9:45 a.m.
F-K: 9:45-10:30 a.m.
L-P: 10:30-11:15
Q-Z: 11:15-12:00
F-K: 9:45-10:30 a.m.
L-P: 10:30-11:15
Q-Z: 11:15-12:00
Monday, June 16: Grades 8-9
A-D: 8-9:00 a.m.
E-I: 9-10:00 a.m.
J-M:10:00-11:00 a.m.
N-Q: 11:00-12:00 p.m.
R-Z: 12:00 -1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 17: Grades 10-11
A-D: 8-9:00 a.m.
E-I: 9-10:00 a.m.
J-M:10:00-11:00 a.m.
N-Q: 11:00-12:00 p.m.
R-Z: 12:00 -1:00 p.m.
Obviously, if you have students in multiple grades, we will do our best to accommodate a single stop, so families do not have to come back.
Reopening Committee
We will be convening a reopening task force to consider some of the variables that need to be addressed as we prepare to reopen schools for the fall. That being said, we are awaiting guidance from the Commissioner, some of which could be prescriptive, and some of which will be a mandate for us to meet as a district, to ensure some consistency between our buildings. We also realize there will be some procedures that will be unique to UHS, and this would be the focus of this group.
We will be sharing a survey for parents and guardians to sign up for this committee if interested. If we have more interest than numbers, we will make sure that this committee comprises a diversity of opinion, grade levels, and experiences. Expect that survey later this week.
UHS Town Hall
We will host a brief Town Hall meeting next week, on Monday night, at 7:00 p.m. We will share what we know about reopening, as well as some other details. The link will be sent on Monday morning.
Have a great rest of your week. Be safe, be healthy, and be positive, as we enter the home stretch of this school year amidst very unsettling times.
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