Winter Break Returns Announced
By: Maya Cohen, Lily Hagge, Gracie Keyt
After beginning the winter term with remote instruction, the Academy will welcome boarding students back to campus on February 11, 12 and 13; boarders electing to arrive later can return on either March 13 or 20. International students on F-1 visas had to share their return plans no later than Dec. 15. For other students, final decisions for the winter and spring terms must be made no later than Jan. 24.
Principal William Rawson emailed all community members return information on Jan. 12. The email covered quarantine procedures before and after arrival, in-person instruction, extracurricular activities and the on campus spring break from March 18 to 22.
Boarders will go through a week-long quarantine at home followed by another week-long quarantine on campus. Feb. returners will quarantine in campus dormitories while March returners will stay in an on-campus quarantine unit or nearby hotel.
Day students are expected to go through a two-week quarantine before returning to campus.
Students living in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts who plan to return on March 20 via private transportation can have a two-week quarantine at home if they complete a waiver and agree to daily symptom checks by the Lamont Health Center staff in the second week of their quarantine.
Students may also elect to remain remote for the winter, spring or both.
The Academy will test all community members twice a week for COVID-19. Distancing and face mask guidelines from the fall will continue.
Rawson mentioned the Academy’s plans towards in-person instruction following the Feb. returns. “ […] most classrooms in Phelps Science and Phillips Hall and some classrooms in the Academy Building will be outfitted for in-person instruction by February,” Rawson said.
The spring term schedule will be changed to allow more in-person classes and days without academic classes every two weeks. “As a consequence, the spring term may be less accommodating for students in some time-zones. It will not, for instance, include evening classes (U.S. time zones),” Rawson said.
Assistant Principal Karen Lassey noted the Academy’s plans to help students in such time zones. “[...] we will be working individually with those students to help find solutions that allow them to continue with their coursework,” Lassey said.
In addition to academic classes, the Academy plans to lessen restrictions on athletic competitions and increase in-person meetings for dance, theater, and music. “Our intention is that athletic competition during the winter term will be intramural, including game-like conditions with referees, and we hope for interscholastic competition during spring term,” Rawson said.
The Academy also plans to increase dining and recreational areas with a focus on indoor gathering. The Grainger Auditorium in the Phelps Science Center will be a dining space. According to the email, weekend activities may include “coffee houses, games in the field house, and movie nights” and “outdoor skating and snowshoeing.”
Additionally, returning students will remain on campus until June. Between the winter and spring terms, there will be no academic classes from March 18 to 22; the Academy plans to offer students various social activities throughout the short break.
