b'close-knit social community, along with the disappointment of canceled sports seasons and milestone events like prom, senior Class Night, Junior Pinning, and awards assemblies.Virtual school was challenging in that we went from seeing our friends every day to being completely removed and thrown into an isolating setting of Zoom calls, says senior Emmie Ravain (20).Im proud of persevering through the upset of losing so many senior moments, still finishing with all As. The biggest challenge was not being able to teach the girls in person, says theology teacher Rafael Flores.That daily accompaniment is why I love teaching. But the reward was being able to take a step back and take my time as I taught the girls. I am proud of how quickly we adapted.Many of these activitieslike Class Night, Junior Pinning, and end of year awardsmoved to virtu-al live-streamed platforms.Graduation was postponed until July and faced restrictive limits on the permitted number of guests, but the Class of 2020 celebrated their achievement nonetheless withexcitement and pride. Students, faculty, and staff alike even found some blessings in the midst of the challenges. From a seniors perspective, we were forced to slow down and I had much more time to spend with my family as opposed to the fast-paced fall semester where I would barely see them for dinner, Ravain says.It was a blessing in disguise to get this time together with my family before I leave for college.One of the greatest and most-felt rewards in virtual learning was our connection as a family, says Stephanie Davis, mother of two SSA students.Because we were always together, we ate together more often and had deeper conversation.It reminded us that the family is the true core of our lives.The virtual school helped our community remain connected in relationship and in meaningful purpose amid the difficulties of isolation and stay-home orders.Virtual Lords Day was always the best, Yazbeck says.It was funny singing our usual Spirit of the Living God song knowing that a students whole family was listening in!Still, I felt that we were desperate for connections with others. I was honored to be able to help lead our girls in prayer and holding on to Christ during this turbulent and fearful time. Even in an unprecedented crisis setting that no one could have fully anticipated, our pillars of prayer, work, study, and commu-nity proved a solid foundation for the virtual schools success.We were so unbelievably impressed with St. Scholasticas vir-tual school, Davis says. Because the school transitioned seam-lessly, my girls did not have time to feel the pressures of what was happening globally with the pandemic. The assignments from various teachers were full enough to challenge but not overwhelm my girls. I personally was touched by the inten-tionality of the teachers. As they cared for their own families, they embraced their capacity to expand their hearts to care for our children as well. It was a breathtakingly beautiful witness of love. ~ Aimee Boudreaux MacIver 96'