| With the writing on the wall in mid-March about the impending coronavirus lockdown, MCS launched the Pandemic Papers collecting initiative. It has the dual aim of reaching out to the MCS community while creating an information resource about our unusual time. MCS members have risen admirably to the challenge, with submissions coming from OWs, friends, parents, staff and pupils in the form of videos, poetry, reminiscences and photographs. Here is a small selection of those submitted so far to whet your appetite:
Pupil Rohan, 2nd Form, perceives immediate changes in society, “I have also noticed the normally friendly people [in my town] seem a lot less friendly as they are afraid of you in case you have the coronavirus. It feels really strange seeing no cars or people around and that it is so quiet.” He also seems to mature, “But as I am home more, I have to do more household chores.”, and “For some reason I find the days going by quicker than usual.” He has taken the opportunity to learn how to make bread and pancakes, try drawing, and getting to grips with new technology via the school portal.
[Rohan cycling at home]
Adam, U6, reflects, “To me it seems that isolation represents a change of ideas, working remotely has become the new normal for all of us, we all feel lost and disconnected, but at the same time are more connected than ever and it feels slightly like this may be a turning point in our society and a glimpse into the future.”
Parents have sent in reflections of the daily challenges of remote working and remote schooling, alongside beautiful photos of family life in lockdown.
[Cake, copyright Douglas Fry / Piranha Photography www.piranhaphotography.com @piranhaphotography]
Chemistry teacher Hayley Parry has kept a blog, “Revelations of online teaching: Have first proper online lesson with more than 40 3rd Formers and, despite being inundated with giphys and emojis throughout, they are surprisingly attentive, a little more than when I am actually present. Perhaps I should do future physical lessons hiding under the desk in my lab, to make the kids listen more.” She joined the rota to supervise keyworkers’ children, “School site in lockdown: In school today to help with the keyworkers’ children. The kids are absolutely lovely and it is such a pleasure to spend time with them. The school site is eerily quiet. It has been put to rest long before it is ready to sleep.”
Many Old Waynfletes quickly contributed to the Pandemic Papers. Paul Butler’s (OW 1967) timeline from November 2019 to April 2020 provides a sobering account of the progression of the pandemic, alongside his own experiences of food shortages and a leap into new technology while volunteering in the Iffley Village Community Shop.
Bill Morris (OW 1964) draws a striking parallel of Covid-19 with the Asian Flu in 1957/8. He was one of two in his form which made it in to school, and MCS had to close for a short period.
[The Lily January 1958 reports the Asian Flu outbreak]
Matt Field (OW 1995), British Ambassador to Bosnia and Hertzogovenia, faces an amplified version of the challenges faced by many working parents, “One of the first decisions taken by the Government here was to close all schools, so my 6 and 9 year old children were suddenly in home school in the next room at the same time as I was trying to run our Embassy remotely, from my desk at home.”
Tony Hussey (OW 1956) observes, “Meanwhile we all wait for science to unravel the truth, hoping that adversarial geo-politics will not inhibit progress – especially in the development of an effective vaccine.”
Andrew Giles Mason (OW 1991) sees a silver lining, “City air is being described as, “alpine like” for the first time in living memory. It will be interesting to see if peoples’ attitude to holidays, travel and shopping changes, after the crisis passes.”
The Master addressed the pupils on 19 March about the closure of MCS, “We live in such a busy world, and we are such a busy school. I imagine that a week or so ago, some of us were envisaging that a Covid-19 closure would be like a snow day or two. You might even secretly have been welcoming it. A chance to have a lie in, catch up with some friends, a gaming binge, a break from the regime” and encourages them to “keep talking, and bear witness to what we are experiencing.”
This year’s May Morning was like none other in the past 500 years. Virtual May Morning was not the usual visceral early morning, cheek-by-jowl event, but came with a lie-in and an extremely moving video from the choir. The copy saved in the Pandemic Papers will remind us of that powerful experience during future May Day celebrations.
Please look through this evolving new collection via MCS’s online archive catalogue . We welcome submissions to the Pandemic Papers throughout the summer. There is further information about how to submit here. Thank you to those who have already contributed, and in advance to those who will add to this rich resource. To quote the Master, I hope you all “…find something good and even to be treasured in this time”.
Lindsay McCormack
Archivist
[email protected] |
| We are always thinking of our MCS community and endeavour to help you feel connected to the school during this unprecedented time.
You can keep in touch with the school on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, as well as the Waynflete Office on our Facebook and Twitter.
And so that we can keep in touch with you, please notify us of any contact details change via the new online form on our website.
If you would like to organise a virtual reunion or reach out to long lost school friends, please let us know via email. The MCS Strava group is also serving to keep members of the MCS community healthy, connected and motivated.
We are pleased to continue to receive your submissions to the Pandemic Papers.
With best wishes,
Susie, Alan, Allison, Kristina, Maddy, and Rob
The virtual Waynflete Office
PS The Oxford Festival of the Arts is going virtual this year. The programme has just been published here and we will share more each week.
|
