Graded’s cutting-edge new innovation spaces were launched during the school year, offering Lower School students the opportunity to tinker, experiment, and grow. Equipped with Lego education kits, a hydroponic garden, 3D printers, VEX robotics kits, and Project Lead the Way (PLTW) materials, these spaces allow students to engage in a variety of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities.

Students, teachers, and staff produced the iconic “G99” on the Athletics Field to celebrate Graded’s 99th year and begin the countdown to the centennial anniversary.

In November, Graded welcomed more than 140 athletes and 25 coaches from seven schools across South America for the SAAC Swim Meet. The event took place in Graded’s new six-lane swimming pool. Athletes forged new friendships and demonstrated tremendous skill and sportsmanship. 

“We started as strangers, and we left as friends.”

More than 190 Graded parents participated in the first Dinner with Strangers, a community-building event. Fourteen families opened their homes to host a dinner with a unique twist: the identity of participating guests was kept secret until the night of the event. Parents were excited to make new friends and build a stronger, more close-knit community.

In December, the Graded community bid farewell to Dona Emilia, Graded’s cafeteria manager who retired after 45 years of dedicated service. During an all-school assembly, Dona Emilia was honored and showered with gifts, including student poems, Emilia masks, a scrapbook with thank you messages, and framed student drawings. An institution at Graded, Dona Emilia will be deeply missed.

Middle School students were provided with an incredible opportunity for exploration and reflection. Throughout this week of experiential learning, adult mentors shared their diverse professional backgrounds and hobbies with enthusiastic students. Middle schoolers dabbled and delved into their own interests and passions, selecting from a menu of more than 20 workshops led by these mentors. Workshops on offer included capoeira, drone racing, 3D modeling and virtual reality, finance, knitting, and pixilation.

In March 2020, Graded migrated to a distance learning platform. In an effort to remain connected, stay informed, and foster school spirit, Graded From a Distance was launched. The microsite provided information regarding health and safety, Graded communications, stay-at-home resources, as well as special community events to engage with fellow students, parents, faculty, and staff. Although not physically together on campus, community members reveled in these opportunities to convene online.

In March 2020, Graded migrated to distance learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers creatively adapted classroom routines to an online learning environment. They provided both synchronous classroom instruction and asynchronous learning opportunities, utilizing discussion forums and project-sharing platforms. To ease the transition to distance learning, Lower School teachers held daily class meetings with students, along with weekly individual meetings. In the Middle and High Schools, advisory and mentoring sessions took place throughout the semester. Faculty members checked in with students on their emotional health, helped them structure their days, facilitated lessons on time management, and provided additional support.

Although the Upper School Musical Annie was indefinitely postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, cast members did not give up. After settling into distance learning, students resumed practice. The online musical was unchartered territory: blocking, acting, set design – everything – had to be reimagined. At home, performers rehearsed lines with family members and recorded their parts with the assistance of earphones, mobile phones, and webcams – all with great joy and excitement. Faculty advisors provided students with the vision, spending innumerable hours watching rehearsal videos, providing feedback, and, later, editing footage and designing motion graphics. The end result was a stunningly creative and cinematic musical production of Annie. 

Despite the school’s ardent effort to hold a drive-through graduation ceremony, Graded’s senior class graduated from a distance. In lieu of a traditional ceremony, the 100 members of the class of 2020 convened online with their teachers, families, and friends for a special “100 Eagles Ceremony.” The unconventional event marked this milestone, and most importantly, recognized their resilience in the face of an unprecedented pandemic.