Behind the masks, John Bapst’s finest are going above and beyond.
Please acknowledge the hard work of our faculty and staff with a gift today.

Dear Members of the John Bapst Community,

Since arriving at John Bapst in 2007, I’ve watched John Bapst’s teachers, staff, coaches, and administrators in action. This certainly isn’t the first time I’ve said to the world, These hardworking people routinely go ABOVE AND BEYOND. They deserve your support!

But this year is different.

When Covid-19 arrived in a major way last winter, John Bapst went from our normal in-person classes on Friday, March 13 to 100% online teaching and learning on Wednesday, March 18. What did our teachers do on Monday and Tuesday? They trained – trained themselves in how to rethink their teaching in light of an entirely new schedule, in how to teach online, in how to use Zoom – all while beginning to grapple with the changes in their own personal lives. In other words, they worked, and from that Wednesday until Commencement on June 7, John Bapst didn’t miss a day of school.

What else didn’t we miss? We held exams in Advanced Placement classes. Planned largely by the Class of 2020, we held Class Night for seniors at the drive-in movie theater. A dozen teachers and our residential life staff put together a three-week summer program for boarders who couldn’t make it home. With the help of several recent John Bapst graduates, we kept our dorms open for the entire summer (and we’re doing the same over school vacations throughout the current school year).

All summer, John Bapst staff worked at cleaning, disinfecting, installing plexiglass in offices – this in addition to the tasks they always do to wrap up one school year and get ready for the next. Our teachers worked during the summer as we adopted an entirely new learning management system called Schoology, designed to make this year’s hybrid teaching even more effective. Following safety guidelines, administrators planned for a year of masks, social distancing, and smaller classes, and coaches completely revamped their approaches to summer practices and athletic contests this fall.

This is a fundraising appeal, and as I write to you please know that I am keenly aware that your own family circumstances may have been significantly affected by the pandemic. Like few situations that we’ve lived through, we are all in this one together. My hope is that those who are able to join us in appreciating the professionals at John Bapst will consider doing just that. ABOVE AND BEYOND: that’s what our faculty and staff have been doing since March. They’ve stayed positive and exhibited teamwork because for them, education is more than a job. It’s all about the kids.

Please go ABOVE AND BEYOND and thank them today!

Yours truly,

Mel MacKay
Head of School

Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, past and present faculty, staff, parents, grandparents, and friends, John Bapst continues its proud tradition of being academically challenging, independent, college-preparatory school fostering in students a respect for learning, for themselves, and for others. Your support provides opportunities for students to learn and explore in and out of the classroom.

Your annual fund donation makes you a part of some amazing accomplishments. Your gift, large or small, helps us expand STEM offerings, ensure a robust Advanced Placement program, provide a full field of sports options, maintain flourishing fine arts offerings, fuel state of the art technology classes, (including robotics) and provide generous financial aid to those who need it. We couldn’t do it without you. Please give to the 2020-21 Annual Fund today. Thank you.

Yes! I’d like to support the ABOVE AND BEYOND annual fund. Please fill out and submit the form below.

All donations are tax deductible to the full amount allowed by law.