Ladies and Gentlemen — I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well. I continue to receive encouraging, positive feedback about how our virtual classes are going, from our teachers, our students, and our parents, and I cannot express how proud I am of our family for how we have come together during this crisis. I recognize this success has depended on parents and guardians as well…doing things none of us ever expected to have to do…thank you for your devotion to your student's education!
Over the past several weeks, I have attended online sessions that have involved schools from across the country, and very few were able to respond as quickly as we did. Many schools were on their spring break or they quickly declared "spring break" when they had to close down. Because of your investment in R-MA and the hard work of our teachers over the past two years, we were well-positioned to make this pivot to online learning. Quite frankly, we never expected to have to use the technology in this way. The teamwork and self-discipline we learn on The Hill are the very essence of what R-MA is and does…all of us would prefer to be working here together right now, but I'm grateful to you and to Almighty God that when disaster struck, we had done the homework necessary to ensure The Power of Rise endures!
Our recently-hired Director of Unmanned Flight Operations, Brian Kelly, has been astounded by the speed at which our faculty adapted to these changes, and the level of instruction we continue to provide. Brian was inspired by the progress of our teachers and students, so he volunteered to put together the video that I am sending you today. It truly is the story of you and your child during this historic and challenging time. Decades from now, you and your child will remember these remarkable days. I hope the video inspires you as much as it does all of us here.
Late last week, you should have received communications from Dr. Tess Hegedus and LtCol Michael Starling concerning our plans for the near future. I hope that those were helpful and confirmed for you that we are continuing to address your concerns and make plans as best we can, given the constantly-changing nature of this situation. We will continue to keep you abreast of any updates. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. I look forward to conducting an online session with parents in the near future as well.
Lastly, as spring break approaches, remind your student of the work ethic they were taught here…we'll adapt to a new schedule after classes resume on the 21st of April and we'll appreciate your feedback on those changes. There's simply no playbook for this situation…we're working hard for you and your child to ensure we turn the challenges into opportunities. With your help, we'll look back with pride on all R-MA's students will achieve, thanks to the lessons they're still learning!
GO JACKETS!
Dave