b'SSA Responds to COVID-19March 13, 2020, fell on a Friday.At St. Scholastica Academy, it was a Friday marked by all the usual Friday activity: end-of-unit quizzes and tests; duffels packed for weekend sports and sleepovers; Lords Day in Theology classes; ACT prep for an upcoming test. Seniors and juniors had begun earnest dress shopping for the prom that was about a month away.Everyone had begun counting down the weeks until Easter break. Mixed with the normal activity was concern about the new coronavirus emerging around the country.How would it affect our community?How should we prepare?At that time, even as the gravity of the pandemic was being realized, these questions were still largely unanswered. Just after the lunch bell at SSA, Governor John Bel Edwards announced the closure of schools for one month to help our state flatten the curve, a then-unfamiliar phrase that would become a household term.SSA immediately initiated a plan for school to continue virtually.On Friday of the closure, administrators, faculty, and staff met for training and planning in using virtual platforms to continue meaningful instruc-tion, community interaction, meetings, and events.Students practiced a virtual attendance routine.Glitch-es and kinks arose and were resolved.On Mondayonly three days after the closureSSAs virtual school opened for classes.Im very proud we didnt skip a beat, says art teacher Marcelle McGoey Delaune (97).We just continued on with the year. Yes, it was stressful at times, but we gave the girls substance in a time of uncertainty. As a teacher and a mom of an SSA student, Im very thankful we continued on. It gave us a routine and purpose. As the original month-long timeline quickly stretched into the remainder of the spring semester, SSAs virtu-al school continued to operate with consistency and flexibility.Administrators prioritized communication and gathered regular data from students, parents, and faculty about what worked and what needed changing.Virtual school taught me a lot of self-discipline, balance, and organization, says senior Anna Hummel (20).It allowed me to figure out things on my own and helped my technology skills flourish. Parents also gained new appreciation for their daughters daily academic routines.I have been extremely impressed with SSAs expedience in implementing online learning and a platform to maintain both structure and flexibility.These girls are blessed, says Chretien Cochran, mother of two SSA students. DOVE WINGS3'