In times like these, it is important to have good people in positions of power to ensure everyone’s safety. Thankfully, Newfield High School finds that leadership through Principal Graviano. As we go into the second quarter of the school year, there are still many questions about the way the months ahead of us will pan out, especially with the upcoming flu season. And while our school administration cannot have all of the answers right now, Graviano still has some wisdom to offer our community. He states the following:

“When it comes to the struggles we’re all dealing with given the pandemic, it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together. We have to be here for each other. If students are struggling, whether hybrid or virtual, they need to communicate! Speak to a parent, speak to a teacher … come to me! We will take steps together to maximize an opportunity to learn. It’s not perfect, but it’s all we can do … work together and support each other.”

While that might seem a bit clichѐ to some, it is easy to forget we still have whatever support system we have gathered through our respective years at Newfield, even in a virtual school setting.

Amidst the chaos of virtual learning and a grading period finishing, there is another big event that prompts Graviano’s statement to be currently necessary. As of November 9th, seniors in both high schools in the district have been permitted to go back to school four days a week, given they have not already switched back to the full-virtual model. To all that may have been concerned about this seemingly unprompted change, particularly given Newfield’s number of cases in comparison to the rest of the school district, Principal Graviano ensures that there are enough seniors who have switched to the virtual model that the decision could be made safely with appropriate 6-foot distancing, and it’s likely this four-day-a-week announcement caused an even sharper drop in seniors attending school via the hybrid model, though he adds that some classes have had to be moved to make it happen. If the merging of groups one and two is what makes this decision a concern, Graviano also confirms that the handful of cases we have seen in the past few weeks are not linked to each other, and they all came from outside of the school.

It is still unknown what coronavirus-related policy changes could come following this, assuming it goes according to plan. No matter what, Principal Graviano assures that all decisions being made regarding keeping Newfield open long-term, during what scientists predict could be another wave, are being made with much deliberation and according to the state’s COVID-19 guidelines. In the end, the school’s top priority is keeping students, staff, and their families safe.