Among the many terms I have heard in these past few weeks, one word that has suddenly become prominent is “pivot,” as in changing direction adeptly. In fact, some of us have joked that we have heard the word so often we are getting a little dizzy. Since this pandemic started, the ability “to pivot” seems to be absolutely necessary in ways many of us never imagined.

I have many impressive examples of skillful pivots at Colorado Academy, and I would like to give a shout out to three of them here:

—Seniors doing Community Impact Projects. About 1/3 of our Seniors had planned for weeks and months to execute a service-based project that would take place in the Spring. (Others completed theirs earlier in the year or last Summer.) Virtually all of these best-laid plans were dashed once most of us were under stay-at-home orders. So what to do? With the assistance of Lisa Dean, our Service Coordinator, and Gabe Bernstein, the Senior Class Dean, all of these students were forced to pivot. And I have been suitably impressed with what they have been able to put together and pull off in such a short amount of time. For example, Bailey Walker had planned a fundraising playwriting event for the Spring, which obviously would have included many people coming together in a small space. Instead, he rallied some friends, wrote articles of his own, and put together an edition of a newspaper for the community. Either way he wanted to bring the community together through words, and now he has done so from a safer distance. Kudos to all the Seniors who were in similar situations. The culminating activity for them is to write a reflection on their experience; some of these will be available for the public to enjoy.

—Students and faculty in the REDI Lab. Just as their independent projects were beginning to take shape, and just as in-person group dynamics were startling to form, the 19 Juniors in the REDI Lab (a trimester 3 program) had to regroup from home. REDI Lab faculty Tom Thorpe, Martha Smith, and Amanda Zranchev had to pivot quickly to keep the experience positive and dynamic for the students. And the students themselves couldn’t feel too defeated if they were counting on making contacts or relying on other on-site learning experiences. I have been able to “drop in” on some of their sessions, and I can attest that they have rallied very successfully. Their desire for independence led them into new and exciting territory, and they also managed to keep the group cohesion alive through Zoom. Unique to this year, they are putting together a series of reflections and articles collectively titled “The REDI Lab Response to COVID-19.” These students will be presenting their projects at the end of the month. Details will be forthcoming.

—Paul Worley! Chef Paul’s world has been turned sideways since the pandemic struck. No longer working with his incredible team to create lunches for 1000 or special dinners for CA events, Paul has been stationed exclusively in his own kitchen. But luckily for the community, he hasn’t forgotten about us (and vice versa). His pivot has involved a weekly cooking session that families could watch and cook along with. He also made an appearance on the student-produced Zoomlights Show—another successful pivot—as the judge for a guacamole-making contest.

As we enter this last stretch of school, I want to reiterate my appreciation for the students and teachers who ALL shifted gears so quickly and successfully. This Spring did not go as any of us planned, yet through it all, students learned. Not only did they continue to build skills and learn content, they gained important perspective and built up their resilience. I’m hopeful that, upon reflection, our students will be proud of themselves for all that they have done to keep a positive attitude. We are hopeful we can see them in person very soon!