Page 11 - The Paduan Summer 2021

After much work and effort Padua was ready to open the doors for the new year. Students were brought back grade-by-grade to a special start- of-the-year assembly where we delivered important information and training. Everything was different; one-way stairwells, bookbags, limited stops at lockers, distanced lunch seating, and cleaning of desks at the end of each class period. We spent the day walking them through the new protocols.
Also put in place were protocols that allowed us to continue with our athletic seasons and many of our extracurricular programs as well. Close contact tracing, isolations due to illness, and quarantining students and staff became a necessary response. Our diligence and quick work in this regard kept us moving successfully through the pandemic.
Although flipping the calendar to 2021 did not act as a magic wand, things slowly began looking up as winter faded. By early spring Mr.
Stec announced to the seniors that there would be a Prom, an Awards Assembly, a Baccalaureate Mass, and Graduation. Once again, even though the pandemic was receding, we still had to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to do these events as live and as meaningfully as possible, for instance moving prom to a much larger facility, the Astrodome in Parma. The Baccalaureate Mass and the Awards Assembly were held at Saint Anthony’s Church. Most exciting was graduation, for which we transformed our own Padua Stadium into our commencement site. We graduated the 207 members of the Class of 2021 with students in chairs on the field surrounded by faculty, family and friends in chairs and our bleachers. It was a historic and memorable celebration.
We finished up the year with the underclass students on June 2, deciding to forego final exams due to the inconsistencies of this extraordinary year. As we look back upon this past year, our ability to effectively deliver curriculum made all the difference and we know that our students are better off for having been a part of the Bruin family.
To say this year was extraordinary is an understatement. The experience that we went through together will always be remembered and the events of 2021 will live on in Padua history. Certainly, when we come together as a true Franciscan community, wonderful things happen. We welcome each other home and hope for a peaceful tomorrow.
10