Dear Union Community:

As we journey into the last month of school, I wanted to touch base with all our families and let you know some of our plans moving forward.

Firstly, I want to thank our awesome students!  Plenty of people deserve praise during challenging times like these, such as our essential workers, healthcare personnel, and our teachers, but we shouldn’t forget the sacrifice our students are making.  Our kids have been deprived of many things they have known, such as being with their teachers, walking the halls of our school, enjoying time with their friends, and playing the sports they love.  Your whole world has been disrupted, and I know it has been difficult, but you’ve handled it with that unmatched Union spirit and strength.  I’m so proud of you and what you’ve accomplished. Keep working hard and completing your assignments.  We only have a few weeks to go!  I can’t wait until we can be here together again.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Parents, we are currently making arrangements for teachers and students to gather their belongings.  We will communicate with you further regarding the procedures.  We’re just waiting on some direction from the state and want to ensure the process is safe and secure for everyone.  We’ll keep you posted.

In regards to some of our end-of-the year events, we are utilizing a two-pronged approach: We are attempting to recreate imaginative and innovative ways to hold ceremonies this month, whenever feasible and pragmatic.  We are also trying to simply postpone events until later dates if, again, it’s feasible and pragmatic.  For instance, we are developing a plan for commencement to occur on its original date, but we are also willing to reschedule a traditional ceremony at a later time.  We will communicate information with you as it becomes available.

I speak for our entire school community, when I say we are proud of how our students and families reacted to this crisis.  Like many of you, I would have never thought we would end the school year like this, but I couldn’t have asked for a better response from our community.  There have been bumps in the road, and difficulties still lie ahead, but I’m confident in our community and believe that we will come out stronger in the end.

Union Strong,

Dr. Michael A. Ross