2020 Annual Appeal

Remember the morning of November 4? We didn’t know who the next president would be, but we did have a plan for the day at Meridian. Students started by discussing the nature of division in the country and where they see that division play out in their communities. We watched a conversation about people connecting and coming to understand each other across political parties. We read Joy Harjo’s poem “Perhaps the World Ends Here.” We wrote letters, made art, and crafted ideas for actions that we can take. As I participated with students and faculty, I was reminded of the strength of our small community and how we find meaning in that strength.

It is with this resilience in mind that I now write to you. This year, our annual appeal is about helping Meridian weather the storm of Covid-19 as we head into the winter and rising levels across Massachusetts. Since Covid first hit Boston and schools were forced to go online in March 2020, we began to plan our reopening. Over the summer, parents and faculty worked closely together to design a system where students could come back to school, see each other, and see their teachers. We opened in September with students spending two days a week at the school and three at home. Since then, through the diligent work of families and the creativity of staff, we’ve been able to increase in-person learning to three and four days a week for most of our students. You might wonder, what does it take to run a school in a time like this?

In order to open in the fall, Meridian had to spend about $200,000 dollars. A sampling of the costs includes:

$55,000 to upgrade the plumbing and electrical service in our building, so that fixtures would be handsfree, fans could circulate air throughout our classrooms, and our Internet would be available outdoors;
$25,000 in new new technology purchases, so that when students are home we can use conference call devices to make them feel as present in the classroom as possible;
$45,000 in new custodial services, so that surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected throughout the day;
And my personal favorite, $5,500 to set up canopies in the side yard in order to have outdoor classrooms.

It is these and other costs that have allowed us to successfully and safely maintain an in-person schedule for our students, but we know that that becomes more challenging as the weather turns colder. As temperatures dip below freezing regularly, we have to find new and creative ways to keep air circulating through our classrooms, while also keeping students and faculty warm. We’ve already completed a new round of ventilation studies, but, most importantly, we have decided that the safest way of staying open through the winter is to add Covid testing to our protocols. We have found a way to do this at the added cost of $50,000 to receive testing for all students and staff twice a week through the winter. This will bring our costs due to Covid to $250,000.

And that’s just for one, relatively small, independent middle and high school. All schools, public and private, deserve to have the kind of resources to operate safely in a pandemic. Since March, I have been meeting with independent school leaders across New England. This pandemic has brought all of us together in new forms of collaboration. Our actions, and what we’re able to accomplish under these conditions, has been a model for how schools and other organizations can keep their communities safe. Please help to keep us at the forefront of understanding how schools can maintain a thriving, healthy, academically rich environment, even with the challenges we are facing. Your gift is not only a gift to keep Meridian students learning in person, it’s a vote of confidence in science-based approaches, rooted in community connection, and committed to demonstrating what should be possible for all children.

Back on November 4th, after reading Harjo’s poem three times in a row, one line echoed in my head for the rest of the day: “At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.” Last spring and this fall, Meridian came together around our table. We, like so many others, have been able to find and make joy in a world that is so full of sorrow. As each of us recognizes and acts on our responsibility toward each other, we find solace.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Best,

Joshua Abrams

Head of School

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