GOD + GRIT = RESILIENCE

The end of the 2020-21 school year may feel to some like the end of a marathon. You are rightly proud of the accomplishment, but also incredibly fatigued by the unique challenges and additional burdens imposed by the pandemic.

As we enter the summer season of rest and renewal, allow me to provide our students with one final math lesson. God + Grit = Resilience. This equation recognizes all that our students, teachers, parents and guardians, administrators, school nurses, custodians and other staff achieved this school year while living through a world of unknowns.

When the seas are calm and the wind is at our back, the sense of community and family that embodies each of our schools comes naturally and builds upon itself with only a moderate amount of effort.

It is when the wind is swirling in all directions and the waves are battering the bow for months on end that we are all put to the test. The last year has been physically demanding and emotionally draining, but our school community showed that with faith in the Lord and a stubborn determination to succeed, we have tremendous power.

Let us break down the equation into each piece, because the lesson for all — most especially our graduating high school seniors — can help overcome difficulties throughout your lifetimes.

We know God is with us always, most especially during trying times. Jesus told us that through faith, we can move mountains, and indeed all of you moved mountains to achieve a successful and safe school year in 2020 and 2021. Never forget the power of faith, and that with God, all things are possible.

The second part of the equation — Grit — can be more difficult to appreciate. It is easy to succumb to exhaustion or give in to the despair that so many have struggled with as we were isolated from loved ones, and many endured the pain of losing a loved one to COVID-19. It is important not to minimize the very real impacts of the pandemic and to recognize and ask for help when we feel overwhelmed. At the same time, we must push forward to help ourselves and others whenever we can. The grit in our equation is that inner strength that each of us possesses and helps us persevere to achieve — with God and with a sense of grace — what we may have doubted was possible at first.

I have been incredibly impressed by countless examples of our students, faculty, staff, administrators and families showing not only the personal fortitude and perseverance that is grit but coupling it with grace.

With trust in the Lord and a little bit of grit, our students, faculty, staff and families were able to connect with each other and we were able to provide in-person learning throughout the entire school year. As circumstances changed, our school community adapted — and in many ways, provided important life lessons to students about being flexible in a changing environment.

To our graduating seniors — who managed to remain focused on their academics despite the continuing and often unsettling realities of a global pandemic — I wish you continued success in your postgraduate journey.

Through living it, you have learned a powerful skill in resilience that will serve you well for the rest of your lives. Always remember that you have the ability within yourself to rise up to meet any challenge and to recover from difficulties you may face along the way. You are resilient — and that resilience comes from your faith in God and your grit and willingness to roll up your sleeves and do what you can to achieve your goals.
We all look forward to seeing the breadth and depth of your impact on the world in the years to come. Congratulations!

And to our broader school community: I stand in awe of all that you accomplished over the last 15 months, and look forward to the amazing new heights of Higher Powered Learning we will reach in the 2021-22 school year. We are emerging stronger than before and the possibilities ahead are limitless.

Inspire Higher.

Giovanni Virgiglio, Superintendent of Schools