How Should Leaders Spend Time In a Pandemic?

A wise mentor once told me that the position of Head of School means that you experience the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. In the past few months, Heads of Schools have experienced more than a normal share of the lowest of the lows, without many of the highs.

With all of the safety requirements in place, and with so much happening on Zoom, we are missing those soulful, sometimes magical experiences that come when the entire school gathers together as one community, when we see student talent in action, and when we feed off the energy of the crowd. I admit to finding it tough to find opportunities to genuinely connect with our community this year, and I cannot wait to be able to go back into Houses, eat in the Dining Hall, be with everyone together in our chapel and theatre, and experience some of the amazing full-school traditions that are unique to all schools, and especially to The Grove.

Now, I am fortunate that I have been finding loads of highs around here. Our staff have soldiered through the changing protocols and have risen to every challenge, and then risen again! Their passion for prioritizing student needs has been nothing short of inspirational, every single day. Our health team has gone above and beyond ensuring the ongoing safety of our community, day and night. Our Leadership Team has worked non-stop, managing situations with compassion and diligence; they are not only proactively planning so that we can experience “normal” as often as possible now, they are also strategizing so Lakefield continues to thrive in the future.

And our students are impressing me with their resilience. This past year has been really hard for students – young and old, here and everywhere. We all need to acknowledge this challenge and plan for the long-term impact on the wellbeing of our young people.

Here at Lakefield, I am so grateful and proud that our student leaders have managed to prioritize joy for our community, and they have astounded me with their passion, dedication, and creativity.

Let me share one of my highest of highs in the past week.

Last Friday evening, I finished a presentation to students around 6:15 pm, and I was hungry! Since no one eats in the Dining Hall this year except boarding students with their residential staff, I was planning to go home, cook dinner, and watch the evening event – Air Bands! – on Zoom.

Air Bands is usually one of my favourite nights, and I bet most people here would say the same! Every single student on campus participates in a House dance. They are highly competitive and rehearse for weeks. Because musical theatre is one of our signature programs, we happen to have a lot of excellent dancers who pour their energy into the non-dancers to create a routine. There are themes, competitions, and staff judges who get into character and make the feedback sessions entertaining. The night is always a big deal. In non-pandemic conditions, we would all pile into the theatre; the lights, sound and choreography are professionally done; and the audience goes wild – totally crazy! – with cheering and applause.

So last Friday evening, the thought of going home to watch this event on Zoom was depressing.

Then I ran into one of our Grade 12 student leaders, and she asked if I was going to be in the theatre at 7pm. I said no, because of our strict protocols, limiting people in indoor spaces.

Her response caught me off guard: “Come to the theatre! We won’t have 50 people in there! Besides, it’s your school… can’t you do whatever you want?” I was so moved by her enthusiasm that I inquired about the detailed logistics.

Kudos to our students for pulling off an amazing set of safety requirements – students traveled in small House groups, on a tight schedule, entering the theatre one way with loads of hand sanitizer, and exiting another way, with a second round of sanitizer. Masks were worn and everyone was respectful of the rules. It is a big deal to participate in a school-wide event during a pandemic – we keep reminding ourselves: nothing is easy – and everyone knew we had to be extra careful in order to keep our community safe.

So last Friday evening, after my husband made and delivered dinner to me, I sat alone with my mask on, as one of a handful scattered all over the theatre, and watched Air Bands.

Lucky me. Our students danced their hearts out. They didn’t even seem to notice that they were performing for a mostly empty theatre. And then it happened. I found myself so wrapped up in the moment, that I began hooting and hollering as if I was a teenager in a packed theatre, with the lights down and hundreds of us clapping and shouting with enthusiasm. I also noticed that others were doing the same – from around the theatre, lone voices would let out a loud: Woohoo! And then others would chime, including me, with all my might.

A wise mentor also once told me that the leader’s job is to be the biggest cheerleader of the organization, and I previously understood that to be a metaphor. But believe me when I say that last Friday night, I found myself trying to be the biggest cheerleader on campus, literally. And without a doubt, thanks to our students, I experienced one of the highest of the highs in my career.