This is an exciting time for our local schools, filled with promise for the future.

In Gloucester and Mathews, the school divisions are in the process of welcoming in new leadership. Dr. David S. Daniel, the new Mathews superintendent, had his first meeting with that county’s school board on July 19. Two days earlier, Gloucester County Public Schools named Dr. Anthony Vladu as its new superintendent, scheduled to take over the role beginning Tuesday.

The superintendents they replace—Nancy B. Welch in Mathews and Dr. Walter R. Clemons in Gloucester—saw their divisions through one of the most challenging times in modern educational history: the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What began as (what was hoped would be) a brief shutdown to allow the virus to run its course soon evolved into a massive retooling of how school was taught. Neither division was prepared for the changes, as students at all levels participated in virtual learning. Kindergarten through 12th graders gathered in their Zoom classrooms, with decidedly mixed results.

An infrastructure had to be created out of whole cloth. Every student needed his or her own Chromebook and internet access to take part in classroom activities. Teachers who relied on relating to students face to face had to relearn how to teach. Internet connectivity, which had been an issue before the pandemic, suddenly became a major concern. As well as addressing students’ instructional needs, creative ways were found to ensure that children who relied on school meals continued to be fed.

Clemons and Welch both had to navigate through these uncharted waters. They had to figure out the intricacies of managing federal CARES Act relief funds, something that certainly wasn’t part of the job description when they accepted the position. Once students were back in the classroom, they had to deal with the logistics of providing enough space for each student according to guidelines, ensure that mask mandates were observed and Plexiglas barriers set up, investigate any Covid outbreak among students or faculty, and respond accordingly.

All of this is to say that we hope that Drs. Daniel and Vladu won’t have to face anything of this sort of magnitude; that they both work to continue their predecessors’ work in recovering from years of pandemic learning loss.

We thank the retirees for their effective efforts in tough times; we welcome the new school system heads, and wish both the retirees and the new superintendents well.