The Fenwick community has gone through an unprecedented year of change, and the Fenwick administration has had to make several tough decisions as a team. Recently, Fenwick decided to cancel the first semester exam schedule, but it did allow teachers to assess their students during the last two weeks of the semester and created a schedule that teachers were required to follow.

According to Mr. Groom, the Fenwick administration went through many different scenarios of how final exams could occur. If in-person finals were to occur, Mr. Groom said that they would have taken two weeks. Ultimately, the administration wanted to focus on two more weeks of instruction. The primary goal for this school year has been to consistently focus on learning. However, this is just one of the many factors that influenced the decisions. The school is constantly communicating with the Oak Park Health Department. Mr. Groom praised the nurses, Ms. Pape and Ms. Monty, for all of the work they have done, as the administration and the nurses have been in constant communication to keep the Fenwick community healthy and safe.

The nurses are just two of many people at Fenwick who have done amazing things to help keep everything running smoothly. Mr. Groom emphasized how great everyone has been and especially thanked Ms. Cain, Mr. Collins, Mr. Ruffino, and the Operations team. With the hard work of many, the school succeeded in completing the monumental task of re-opening.

Throughout the school year, the school has attempted to maintain a balance between physical health and mental health. Challenges impacting students and faculty have included shifting class sizes and modes of educational delivery. Mr. Groom, who is teaching a Spanish 1 class, believes that it better enables him to understand the challenges that the faculty is going through. He also wishes that he could spend more time with the students and be involved with what they do. The pandemic, he believes, has encouraged students to think of others before themselves.

While some students have opted to continue learning fully remotely, Fenwick is currently open for hybrid learning.