The Phelps School Reopens Its Campus for Fall 2020

The new student approaches the front door, careful to enunciate his name from underneath his mask and raise his hair off his forehead for the temperature check. With a nod and a squirt of hand sanitizer, he is welcomed into his fall semester in the age of COVID-19!

Since the pandemic shuttered schools across the region last spring, the question of resuming in-person instruction--if, when, and how?--has been a pressing concern to educators and families alike. On August 16, The Phelps School reopened its Malvern campus to young men from across the United States and (travel permitting) the globe. We spoke to our new and returning students about the experience of returning to school at this unusual time.

For eighth-grader Alex, the turn to distance learning took his first year at Phelps in an unexpected direction: “It [was] not a normal year,” he admits, “but you adapt!” With classes starting up again in person, senior Benni likewise confesses some anxiety, as the resumption of his routine represents “the most [he has] been out of his house in months!” Still, he acknowledges, “it is good to see my friends and teachers.” Classmate and Senior Class President, Leon, concurs, adding that the privilege of in-person education “makes me want to be careful,” and abide by the precautions (such as masks, social distancing, and cleaning regimens) in place. For Leon, a Kenyan citizen who quarantined with the family of a Phelps alum over the summer, being back on campus with his friends “is such a nice opportunity, but you need to be responsible,” even if responsibility currently entails stopping a lively soccer scrimmage at intervals to sanitize the ball!

Some Phelps students seem unfazed by the new routines. Lane, a new senior, credits the rigorous protocols in place in his home state of New York with helping to normalize the precautions on campus. For Lane, forget the mask--it is the rest of the uniform--his tie and blazer, for instance--that stand out as novel, as well as “the really good academics,” with social distancing and personal attention alike far easier in his current classes of seven than his packed public school. Alasan, a new freshman from the United Kingdom, notes much stricter mask adherence stateside than in his hometown of Birmingham, “where maybe 10 percent of people wore masks in the shops! But here it is better, safer.” (Also meeting his approval was that local delicacy, the Philly cheesesteak, thanks to Chef Greg, which Alasan sampled for the first time the other week!)

All in all, the students testify to admirable resilience and a willingness to do their part for the common good, even if the measures are still new and unfamiliar. Anwar, another new freshman, laughs and admits that he needed Dorm Jobs 101: “I did not know how to sweep before!” He credits his proctor with helping him acclimate to boarding practices. Coming from a school where students troop from class to class in a single-file, Anwar finds the “best thing” about Phelps is the freedom he enjoys on campus. He jokes that “TV did not prepare” him for the ease of his transition and how readily he would make new friends.

For anyone else interested in getting the real scoop on boarding school life, Phelps will be holding our next Virtual Open House on Sunday, September 13 at 11 AM Eastern on Zoom. To RSVP or for more information, please reach out to the Admissions Team at admis@thephelpsschool.org or (610) 644-1754.