Frederick High School senior Christopher Pondoc is today’s guest blogger. He writes about ways the “new normal” that is COVID-19 can prepare students to become stronger for years to come.

This week’s blog continues to recognize the valuable contributions of FCPS staff as we navigate the COVID-19 crisis.

As a school system, we have faced many challenges related to the COVID-19 crisis. Today’s blog is dedicated to the FCPS staff who are everyday heroes on the Business Services team, making a difference for so many people.

After several weeks of “distance learning,” it is important for students to stay engaged. While recognizing how stressful things are right now, the effects of losing an entire quarter of learning could have a significant impact going forward.

We humans are creatures of connection—we were born to be social. It’s how we have survived and thrived for thousands of years, and it’s captured in the wisdom of an old saying, “It is in the shelter of each other that we grow.” Even so, there are times when we cannot gather, and now enforced social distancing due to COVID-19 keeps us physically distanced from each other. Today’s message is from guest blogger Lynn Davis, FCPS coordinator of Mental Health Services.

Isn’t it ironic that the tools we worried were making us less connected are the same tools that enable us to stay connected during the pandemic crisis?

This is the third in a series of blogs about coping with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing that many adults feel uncomfortable talking with children and adolescents about scary events, today’s guest blogger, FCPS Supervisor of Psychological Services and School Therapists Ann McGreevy, shares suggestions. She emphasizes that knowing the truth about a situation helps us process and understand it and then try to plan for what might be coming next.

When a community is devastated by a tornado or the ravages of war, people respond to the pain and destruction they see. With the current pandemic crisis, it is harder to actually see or perhaps more appropriately foresee the devastation. Yet, the need to act to support our community and nation is critical.

COVID 19 is officially a pandemic, and measures to limit the community spread have begun. People are being asked to take actions and make sacrifices that are unprecedented for many of us. Therefore, I will be using my blog as a communication tool to support the community. Watch for guest blogs from experts who will also provide timely advice.

Many of the challenges we face locally in education are the same challenges our colleagues face across the country. Addressing these challenges requires leadership at the national, state, and local levels.