From Nuntius Notes:
A month ago, I mentioned the color Orange meaning fall, pumpkin spice, and basketball. This week Orange took on a new meaning as we look to tighten up our protocols for COVID-19 and be even more diligent about our precautions. I echo the comments by Mr. Taylor in his district email this morning – we want to continue to provide as many opportunities for our students as possible while allowing families to gauge risk and decide what is best for their families. This includes athletics. The Athletic Department and District Upper Administration, along with our Physicians Advisory Group, have been in daily contact since before school began about CDC numbers, student population, cross-pollination of campus groups, fans, venues, and many other things. Several families have opted in and out of particular sports based on location and family circumstances (ie – outdoor sport vs indoor sport, etc). Several families have opted in for sports and then missed games or practices, because they wanted to take extra precautions, but then returned without penalty for time missed. We have been encouraged by our school community taking our protocols so seriously, while also sharing their concerns and asking the right questions as circumstances change. Our families have been flexible and supportive when games have been cancelled, postponed, or moved. Our teams have had success this year despite the practice challenges and restrictions on certain activities, and our desire is that our current and future sport seasons will finish out the year. We tell our student-athletes to “play each practice and game as if it could be your last” – leave it all out on the field or court. To that end, we hope to move back to Level Yellow soon, but in the meantime, here are some of the efforts and increased precautions that are being put in place or that are being discussed if we remain at the Level Orange designation:
1. Continuing to communicate with host schools and visiting teams about their protocols and our protocols to ensure that we can make informed decisions regarding our teams.
o The ACADEMY has not had to cancel any games or matches this year.
o We have had 3 volleyball matches, 1 cross country meet, and 1 basketball game cancelled by host or visiting teams.
2. We have increased our Midtown Gym signage and protocols in the gym to help increase social distancing and effectively reduce capacity even further while we are at Level Orange
o Every other row has been eliminated
o Separate sections for Home fans and Visitor fans
o A section buffer between the Home fans and Visitor fans
o Designated signage telling “family units” where to sit in order to stay distanced
o Designated Staff to remind fans to keep mask on
3. Possible schedule changes and gym capacity reduction plans
o Increasing time between games
o Limiting fans:
 Immediate family only
 1 parent only
 No fans (Game Livestreamed)
o 3X3 Basketball League
 Limiting games to home campus opponents only
 Schedule blocks by grade with buffer between to reduce capacity
 Limiting fans to 1 parent only
All these efforts and decisions are fluid as we continue to navigate these challenging times together. Our Athletic Department staff and coaches are thankful for our parent partnerships, and grateful for the leadership of our Board, Headmaster, and Assistant Headmaster. It is because of this leadership partnership that we continue to stay Griffin Strong!