Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board, and Community Members,
Happy Friday!
This update includes information about the pandemic and remembrance of Laila Al-Matrouk and her wonderful character and example.
Pandemic Outbreak - Despite an outbreak of the coronavirus in Morrill, Waldo County is still GREEN according to today's Maine Centers for Disease Control (CDC) color-coded risk assessment system.
https://www.maine.gov/doe/framework/part-I/#CRL
In RSU 71, we have had ten confirmed cases of COVID-19 in students or staff associated with our eleven sites since the coronavirus pandemic began, fewer than some individual families in our district have had. We send fervent wishes for healing and speedy recovery to all affected by this dastardly disease.
Please continue to do everything in your power to avert contagion:
Wear face masks (we do so in our home, too, when our sons come over):
Maintain as much social distance from others as possible: and
Stay safe in your usual people-pod or bubble, avoiding large gatherings.
We anxiously await information about when staff can be vaccinated; as the days go by and the number of active cases in our communities increases, it is aggravating (to say the least) to wait. Please know that this is a supply problem and not inaction on health care providers, Maine CDC, Maine DOE, or the school system.
A reminder to families: siblings and other household members of close contacts do not need to quarantine and may come to school as usual. For example, the sisters of a brother needing to quarantine because of exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19 do not themselves need to be in quarantine but may continue to come to school.
So far, all students and staff currently in quarantine due to being a close contact of a confirmed case -- which is defined as fifteen minutes or more within six feet of someone who tested positive -- have tested negative, which is excellent news. Please keep up the great work! Remain vigilant and mindful of protocols, adhere to required safety protocols, and either speak with individuals you observe not following safety protocols or ask your building administrator (or me) to do so.
Another piece of good news is that the rate of usual winter head-colds and flu is way down this winter because of our wearing masks, frequently sanitizing our hands, and staying apart from one another.
WANTED: Bridge Personalities - I've been thinking a lot about BAHS student Laila Al-Matrouk lately. Laila tragically died in August of 2018 when she was hit by a car while riding her bike. I am grateful to have had many conversations with her and witnessed her in action many times -- on the soccer field, in classes, in the hallways, on the stage, in BAHS concerts, rallies, assemblies, and a THMS Eighth-Grade Recognition Ceremony. Laila had received training during summer camps with Seeds of Peace -- a peacebuilding and leadership development organization founded in New York City in 1993. She and I were working on bringing the program to Belfast Area High School. One of the unique things about Laila is how Laila greeted, smiled at, respected, and included everyone in her orbit. Outspoken, talented, and articulate, she was also kind, respectful, and interested in everyone, even those whose beliefs and views differed from hers. She was what I called a "bridge personality" whose being seemed infused with the agape (Ah-Ga-Pay) -- love of all humankind -- that I've written about in other updates. She showed important leadership in resolving conflicts between people and enabling aggrieved parties to reconcile in a spirit of comradery and friendship.
I learned something this past weekend from an RSU 71 parent, who wrote that the South African word "Ubuntu" bears some similarity to the Greek agape. A common translation of ubuntu is "the goodness in my soul recognizes the goodness in your soul." Ubuntu extends to all humanity.
"Hesed" is a Hebrew word that conveys many qualities, such as mercy, compassion, love, grace, and faithfulness. Hesed (חֶסֶד), is not merely a feeling but involves action on behalf of someone who is in need. Hesed describes a sense of love and loyalty that inspires merciful and compassionate behavior toward another person."Namaste" is a greeting used in several faith traditions, including Hinduism, and means, among other things, "the divine in me honors the divine in you." It is related to the multidimensional concept of Ahimsa, which is inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of the divine and that to hurt another is to hurt oneself. (All definitions are from Wikipedia and books I've read in the past.)
What do ubuntu, agape, hesed, and ahimsa have in common, and what do they have to do with Laila Al-Matrouk and public education? Well, we learned a lot from Laila during her too-short life. We learned that:
One can interact with every student, family, staff member, board member, and community partner not just with tolerance and respect but with interest.
One can see every person as a unique and special being, full of gifts and talents.
One can passionately defend beliefs while still listening to and loving other people. (Students may advocate on behalf of their religious beliefs and political views while staff members may not. This is related to the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which prohibits government -- including public education -- from establishing an official religion, unduly favoring one religion over another, and unduly preferring religion over non-religion or non-religion over religion. We can and should teach about religion -- and politics, too -- and its impact upon cultures, history, social movements, music, art, and literature, to name a few subjects. But staff may not promote or proselytize personal beliefs and faith. In part, this is to avert the concern that students could be held in favor or put at a disadvantage when student and family beliefs differ from that of staff members, as staff members are in positions of authority, "in locis parentis," while students are in school, on the bus, and at school-sponsored events.)
One can believe that everyone can grow and be of service and help others to do so.
One can develop and nurture healthier, happier, and more engaged selves.
One can actively help our schools become ever more effective and joyful places.
One way to lift ourselves out of the funk of division and difference during this challenging period of the pandemic is to remember Laila's gifts and contributions to our community. She taught us that every one of us has talents and strengths and that, as a collaborative community, we ROCK!
Let the example of Laila Al-Matrouk inspire us.
Sincerely,
Mary Alice
