Cautiously optimistic are two words that appropriately describe our current environment. Public health officials are reporting that COVID-19 cases are falling after spiking earlier this year. Our county epidemiologist and chief medical officer are discussing the possibility of a continued downward trend in cases. District staff receiving vaccinations and K–2 students returning to a daily schedule this month have both been sources of hope for our schools and for families in our community. 

The caution comes in the need to continue to be diligent in practicing the precautions that are effective at reducing the spread of the virus—wearing masks, washing hands, staying home when sick, distancing when possible, limiting gatherings, etc. This will be critical to our ability to keep students in school as much as possible and to transition more of them to a fully in-person schedule this spring.

While we remain focused on the school year at hand and hopeful about more and more students moving into Phase 4, we are also looking ahead to next fall. We recently announced assistant principal appointments at Soda Creek (Kalie McHaffie) and Sleeping Giant (Karen Draper) for 2021–2022, as well as the hiring of Rick Elertson as the principal of Steamboat Springs High School. You can read more about Rick here. In sharing the announcement of Rick’s appointment, I talked about the importance of focusing on the student experience—something that will be a priority districtwide in 2021–2022.

Over the past year, the pandemic has affected all of us in various ways. Many of us are connected directly or indirectly to one or more of the 500,000 Americans who have died from the virus. Some of us contracted the virus, and others were, are, or will be isolated or quarantined due to exposure. For all of us, our ability to socialize and connect has been disrupted. 

Bouncing back from this time won’t be easy or instant. However, our SSSD staff is incredibly resourceful and our students resilient, and we are fortunate to live in a community with so many accessible services and supports. Looking ahead to the rest of this year and the next, collaboration will continue to be critical as we work to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of each of our students.