A return to St. Mary's amidst the pandemic

By: Gabby Smith

Art by Charlie Lamountain

The new school year has started off in-person for St. Mary’s students and faculty. Beloved daily activities like lunch in the dining hall and singing hymns during chapel have made their way back into the academic schedule. Even though St. Mary’s is still a masked campus, school days are beginning to resemble that of pre-pandemic life. 

This is thanks to the large number of vaccinated students in the Upper School, currently standing at 89 percent. 

Head of Upper School Lauren Rogers said, “Our community vaccination rate is a tremendous achievement. I am so proud of our student community for taking real mitigations to protect themselves and others. [On campus,] something I see everyday is that students take masking seriously… We’re doing a good job, let’s keep it up and continue to be responsible and mindful.” 

However, Tennessee’s Coronavirus cases are on the rise with thousands of new positive tests everyday. In August, Shelby county alone averaged 662 new cases per day. Students worry that these numbers threaten a repeat of the previous school year. 

“I think the Delta variant is something we don’t understand yet… I am a big advocate for in-school learning, so I really hope everyone continues to take this seriously and do their part,” says Anna Douglas Piper (11). 

In response to these concerns, Rogers said, “The Delta variant is something of concern… We are continuing as an institution to work closely with local experts, including at Le Bonheur, to make sure we are doing school in a way that helps us learn and grow.”

“I love that our theme this year is “Got Spirit?” to bring people together and celebrate,” Rogers 
added. While there still might be continued restrictions from the last year, hopefully a “normalish” school year full of pep rallies, sports games, and school traditions will bring the community together.