Dear Friends,
When I first emailed families about COVID-19, little did we know how dramatically our lives would change over the course of the next 12 months.
Here at The Academy, we quickly pivoted to an online program — no small feat for a community that relies on in-person interactions and training. However, we have always been innovative and resourceful, and our faculty and students embraced the challenges.
Our gala went online and featured incredible digital performances like “What You Know”, a great rock tune recorded by four students, each isolated in their own house. (Seriously, watch that right now.) The annual Senior Lunch was held on Zoom, and the toasts were every bit as emotional. And, many staff and faculty and I drove more than 400 miles to hand-deliver diplomas to graduating seniors. (Check out the news coverage of the “diploma parade” in the Tribune and on Windy City Live!)
Many faculty members gave up their entire summer to plan for the fall, and we resumed school in August in a “hybrid” model: Academic classes have been meeting online, and arts classes have been both online and on campus.
The results have been stunning. Since the fall, each department has produced incredible virtual events: online exhibits, concerts, recitals, plays, and festivals with a combination of pre-recorded and live material. Some have been straightforward — the Emmy Award-winning HMS media filmed the Senior-Choreographed Dance Concert (performed in an empty theatre), and we streamed the event in February. Others have required a complete re-thinking of the artform: Theatre, for example, created the original piece Brainstorm, designed for Zoom, and eight actors each performed in separate broadcast pods — complete with curtains, lighting, and sound — built throughout the school.
The annual AIDS Benefit was its usual success, and we are thrilled that a relatively new student- produced event — the Black Student Union’s moving Black History Month Show — has continued to gain momentum and had a large virtual audience in February.
Each production, without exception, has not only highlighted the excellence and passion that drives our students, but the spirit of our entire community. Bravo to our teachers and students!
I hope that you enjoy the stories, photographs, and news throughout this newsletter. Make sure to check out the information about Academy Night Live!, a major event on April 17 that will not only set a new standard for virtual productions in high schools, but will delight audiences far and wide!
As always, we are grateful for your support and goodwill.
With much gratitude,
Jason Patera
Head of School