Tigers roll out the welcome mats

“Hello,” “Good Morning,” and even a handshake are often ways students would greet their teachers when they arrived at Lawrence Woodmere Academy. However, that is not the case this year. This year is different. This year is strange. This year is unconventional. This year is 2020. 

Who would have ever thought that in 2020 we would have the option of in-school or remote learning? At LWA, you can choose, and both options are for five continuous days every week, Monday through Friday, which students are very pleased about. No splitting the schedule into a confusing hybrid format. 

Additionally, teachers at LWA are being greeted by students in multiple time zones scattered across the world, as LWA has a fair number of international students who are doing remote learning from abroad. Some international students are attending school in person.

Head of School Brain O’Connell and the Lawrence Woodmere Academy staff have collaborated and established an abundance of health guidelines, procedures and precautions to help ensure the students are able to enter and stay in school safely and comfortably. LWA is following every necessary protocol for the continued wellness of all their students, faculty and support staff. 

Before leaving for school, students and families are required to sign into their personalized Magnus Health accounts to answer several questions and record their temperature, ensuring they have none of the Covid-19 symptoms. Once students arrive at school, they are mandated to wear their mask and get their temperature taken a second time by Director of School Culture and Safety Lorin Clark. If cleared, students are permitted to enter the building to start their day.

With the Covid wellness formalities behind them, students begin their daily rigorous and exciting academic schedule. They have a half-hour session with fellow students and their advisors to talk about daily announcements, current news and family experiences as well as a mental health check to make sure everyone has the right frame of mind during this chaotic time of uncertainty. During the day, students are allotted mask breaks outside and at a safe distance. 

Something new to LWA is its partnership with St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, where the high school students can earn college credits and take elevated classes. Courses include college writing & research, English: human rights in literature, world history, Advance Placement U.S. history, ecology and the environment, chemistry in society, AP chemistry and AP calculus.  

Two students are glad to be back in school. “After all these months of being home, I truly appreciate being back at the school building, using my brain and seeing my friends again,” Sophomore Raphy Tawii said. “I feel enthusiastic going back to school, as it is a chance to return to normalcy in this crazed world,” Senior Blake Pomerantz said. “It is weird with the mask and being socially distant, but it was needed to return to a normal lifestyle, especially for my senior year.” 

It is evident LWA students are happy to return to their place of learning. Students really missed the in-person element of what makes LWA their home away from home. We are all grateful for the effort the staff has made to make this year possible. Lawrence Woodmere Academy would like to remind everyone to stay safe and healthy through these unprecedented times. Let’s all continue to stay Tiger Tough.