By Eve Elkins’21
No longer can we cheer around the bonfire as the monitors throw in a paper mache zebra. No longer can students pack the Lion’s Den and sing along to song after song. These school traditions were a much-needed outlet from the hard work and stress that academics and extracurriculars at St.Marks entail. In the hybrid version of St.Mark’s, where these traditions no longer stand, how do we keep our sense of togetherness- how do we keep the Pride strong?
Whether you are remote or in-person this fall, the mindfulness practices and the check-ins with each grade foster strong community connections. I recently started going to these brief mindfulness practices over Zoom, and they are a great way to help retain connectivity and interactions that we took for granted. Talking about how I was doing with people who could empathize with me reminded me that I am not alone. As for going to the check-ins with your grade, we all know too well those periods of awkward silence on Zoom. Embracing that awkwardness is vital because when you go to these check-ins, you contribute to the St.Mark’s community. Libby Flathers, a sixth former, said, “watch for the small things. They may not seem like a lot, but the small things are what can really make or break a community.” Especially now, these small efforts you can make matter because showing up for each other is fundamental to maintain the community. The dreaded Zoom silence is worth it because it is uncertain when or if things will ever be completely normal again. Another Zooming tip I have found to be useful is to keep myself off mute as much as I can even when I am not talking. I find the flow of the virtual conversation to be much smoother and that I participate more.
Focusing on short term goals for yourself is key to staying motivated and positive in times of great uncertainty. Focus on the immediate and internal factors you can change rather than worrying about the external ones. Keep the long-term goals in the back of your mind so that you can adapt when things do change. A goal that everyone should keep in mind is rebuilding their relationship with learning. Last spring, it was challenging to stay motivated because virtual classes were a huge adjustment for everyone. Also, in the pass-fail quarter, we no longer had grades as something to motivate us. Now that the grading system is back and teachers are more prepared for the challenges of virtual school, everyone should begin to regain the trust that we used to have in our education. Regaining the academic mindset and motivation is an essential step in keeping the community strong. When we have the right attitude and eagerness, we become intellectually curious and can provide meaningful contributions to the class, making it more engaging.
Those who are remote just passed their 60th day of attending classes on Zoom. If you are in person, reach out to all the remote learners this fall that you know. Even if you don’t have much in common, we are all going through the global pandemic, which unites us no matter how far apart we are from each other.
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