Friday, February 26th, 2021
In recent weeks several parents have gotten together to develop initiatives to celebrate our seniors.
Last night there was a call with the student governing body (SGA). As it turns out they do not like the idea of a drive-in graduation at the proposed location, believing it is to far and would not be an equitable event. Unless we get MCPS to approve an outdoor graduation it will be a virtual version. This makes me quite sad.
Parents have also put thoughts into organizing an alternative to the Prom. The most feasible plan seemed to be renting a section of the National Mall; organizing music and a photo op with street artists performing and so on. The game plan was to section of spaces for groups of 20 (all masked of course). That way they could have a joined experience, but mingling could be controlled. Given students typically stay in their friend groups for Prom and Homecoming anyway, the group sections would unlikely have constituted a problem. There could have been music and dancing in the sections, with graduates arriving in their finery.
Again, the SGA did not want this. Their rational was that even under normal circumstances Prom/ Homecoming seems to divide up into small groups anyway, so trying to come up with one event for everyone to feel included but knowing the reality that some students have been vigilant about safety guidelines and others have not, would turn into an event for students who disregard safety guidelines because the other students would probably not attend after seeing a constant stream for the last year on Instagram and Snapchat of parties continue to be held indoors with 20+ people without masks. The concerns expressed included, if, by chance, most students do attend, those that are more careful would get dismayed quickly when other students might fail to respect the guidelines set for the event, which would then be streamed instantly. It appears the SGA does not want their senior year to end with blame. Rather they are proposing a walk through the school building. To me that seems so lame. When did students become the adults in the room I wonder? How can the kids be so conservative?
At least the car parade seems to be a “go”. LAst year it was truely fabulous and as the designated driver it would give me a pieve of the action!
Also, I managed to get a few pages dedicated to the IBDP graduates in the yearbook and the IB parents will organize a picnic for IB families to celebrate the success of the students and we are getting IBDP yard signs if the artist in residence ever gets around to designing one.
After a year locked up at home all that seems very little to celebrate their perseverance and their success despite the harrowing circumstances. All in all, it feels like much ado for nothing.
At least news on the virus front is positive. The New York Times today reports that new infection numbers have been plummeting, not only in the USA, but globally and experts believe we will get to some form of normalcy by the summer. The greatest concern expressed is around the variants, which may lead to a fourth wave. The dropping numbers may lead people to become less vigilant before receiving their shots. Also, only 55% of Americans are willing to be vaccinated.
In my mind that is up to them. Everyone has the right to choose how they want to die, as long as those of us who prefer not to die of suffocation can get immunized and are safe.
New infections in the USA were reported at 69k over the past twenty-four hours. While I still believe this is the aftermath of Super Bowl parties experts fear this renewed increase may be due to the more infectious variants. Sadly, the US does not have much capacity to do genome analysis, so presumably we will never know what causes the uptick. One way or another it is a race against time and getting the vaccines into people’s arms quickly remains critical. In that sense the news that the FDA has approved emergency use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is very much welcome.
While Germans are clamoring for vaccines, but shunning the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot, Bulgaria is now offering a shot to anyone who would like one amidst vaccination hesitations of the population. I have had my say on the Germans. Scientists agree any shot is better than no shot and if you decide to be choosy about the shot, you deserve to be at the end of the line. I have plenty of friends in Germany who would take Oxford over nothing.
Yesterday the USA administered its 50 millionth COVID-19 shot. Today the European Union announced it has delivered over 50 million doses to its member states. This means the USA and the EU are basically at par when it comes to vaccine roll out, assuming that what was delivered is also being administered
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is making the fight against Corona a national effort. The administration has now reached out to the private sector for their help. Initiatives includes employers promoting safe behavior like mask wearing and social distancing, creating safe work environments, allowing time of to get vaccinated as well as encourage people to get a jab.
Why did the previous administration not do this? Oh right, they believed COVID-19 was just going to go away.