With the nation engulfed in a deadly pandemic, Saint Louis U. High has had to rethink its annual traditions in order to keep the community safe. One of those traditions was Direction Days, an event that serves as an introduction to SLUH for incoming freshmen.

As soon as the virus, now infamous for being the cause of countless canceled events, first reared its head in March, questions started to come up about the security of summer activities. Director of the Learning Center Tim Curdt and campus minister Stephen Deves were in charge of planning Direction Days, so they got to work in the fourth quarter, meeting with doctors and other teachers to decide if it would be a part of SLUH this year. Ultimately, they decided to postpone the event instead of cancel it.

On top of the scheduling of Direction Days, Deves and Curdt also had the problem of deciding what to do with all the senior advisors. They had not yet decided who would be chosen for the program out of the 96 applicants, so they used that to their advantage.

“(Mr. Curdt) felt like this was not the year to (cut people). There’s already enough disappointment this year. Now that there’s so much ambiguity and uncertainty this year, we might need a lot more help than we think and we have ever had before. We both decided that, if a senior was willing and ready to put in the effort and wanted to mentor the freshmen, we’ll find a role for him.”

To serve as a mediator between the end of school and Direction Days and as a safe way to welcome the freshmen, Deves and English teacher Adam Cruz drove around the St. Louis area setting up signs in the yards of the new Jr. Bills.

Some senior advisors pitched in virtually near the end of the fourth quarter by sharing video interviews of themselves giving advice, welcoming the freshmen to SLUH, and expressing excitement for the coming school year. 

On June 5, even more advisors showed up to greet the freshmen in person at the turnaround, offering t-shirts, pretzels, and pictures with the signature Jr. Billiken, and celebrating the freshmen with enthusiastic cheers and upbeat songs.

All that was left after June 5 was to wait. Direction Days turned into a single Direction Day and was rescheduled for Aug. 17. Curdt and Deves kept tabs on coronavirus updates as the day approached, ready to cancel the day entirely if anything happened that was too big to handle.

“All summer long was hardcore, like, ‘How do we actually make this happen,’” Deves said. “(There were) lots of conversations with Mr. Curdt, and as it was getting closer, we were like, ‘Is this still happening?’”

In the days leading up to the event, Curdt, Deves, and theology teacher Mike Lally met with the senior advisors to train them—teaching them how to properly sanitize, what they should expect the day to look like, and how to keep everyone safe during the day. The seniors got to participate in the various games the freshmen would be enjoying, including Group Juggle, Peek-A-Who, Radioactive Carry, and Over / Under.

In order to properly follow social distancing guidelines, some of the usual events featured in Direction Days had to be cut. The three-hour time allotted this year was filled with team-building games played outside, freshman photos, tours of the school, a pep rally, and one-on-one interaction with senior advisors in classrooms.

Deves and Curdt also decided that, similar to the learning schedule for this year, the freshman class would have to be split into a morning and afternoon group based on last name. The first group would show up at 8:00 a.m. and stay until 11:00 a.m. while the second group would be scheduled from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

“My group felt especially inclusive. Everybody was in good spirits, with a smile on their face, having a good time and being engaged in all of the activities,” said senior advisor Zak Stevenson. “Nobody complained about it or was being pessimistic. Congrats to the freshmen for having so much fun with what could’ve been a difficult process.”

Said freshman Grant Thornberry, “I really did like the Direction Day. I got to know exactly where my classes are so that I can navigate around the school a lot quicker. I got to do some outdoor activity so that I could bond more with my classmates and get to know a lot more of their names. It was just a really fun time. During our homeroom time, we got hungry and decided what the best fast food place is: Cane’s.”

“There were a lot of team building stuff and activities where I got to meet a lot of new people—kids that I didn’t know,” said freshman Kodi Cade. “I feel like I got to interact with them on a new level—a brotherhood level. I got to try a lot of new games that I haven’t played before. The one where there’s the sticks and you jump over and under was probably my favorite.”

Some students, opting to stay home for the day, experienced the day through a livestream, getting the opportunity to chant with their classmates during the pep rally.

One of the more difficult parts of the day was having to put a name to a face, or in this case, putting a name to a face mask.

“I was fortunate enough to have two little brothers of some of my fellow seniors in my group, but for my other three freshman, it was really hard to remember who is who when you can’t see their entire face. I feel like that will be something we will all struggle with this year when getting to know someone,” said Stevenson.

At the end of it all, the freshmen went home and the senior advisors stayed to help clean up. According to Deves, it went just about as well as it could have.

“I remember walking over to Mr. Curdt, and I’m like ‘This is going smooth, almost too smooth,’” said Deves. “Mr. Curdt and I are definitely used to going with the flow because every year things come up and it’s crazy, but I really cannot think of anything that was either disastrous or overwhelming to deal with.”

To Deves’s enjoyment, the senior advisors stepped up and did a good job of making sure this year’s Direction Day was a memorable one.

 “I was very impressed when Monday rolled around to see all of the senior advisors just put themselves into it,” said Deves. “They did a good job of getting to know the freshmen and helping them feel welcome, and they did a good job of enforcing our new safety rules. They took it seriously. They were flexible, and they were patient. They helped to make that a really meaningful three hours.”

While the teachers in charge were definitely impressed by the hard work of the senior advisors, Stevenson felt that the appreciation went both ways.

“I want to give a big shout out to Mr. Deves, Mr. Cruz, and Mr. Curdt,” said Stevenson.“They all had to put in a lot of long hours and efforts into both the senior advisor training days and the direction days. They all put a lot of thought into it to make it both safe, fun, and to feel normal for the freshman. Mr. Curdt especially for a great job on the Canvas page and all the directions, and Mr. Cruz for keeping the energy alive like always. Those three were on the front lines making everything fun and to keep it going smoothly.”

Despite the event being shorter and having fewer activities, it was a good experience for the freshmen and the senior advisors that led them through the day. 

“Even though you couldn’t do everything they probably wanted you to do and even with COVID and all the restrictions, they still made it fun,” said Cade.

“It was all really active and very entertaining.” said Thornberry. “It was good all around.”

“I was glad we could still do most everything from my freshman year Direction Days, we just had to be a bit more cautious than normal,” said Stevenson. “Besides the spacing out, extra precautions, and more division of the class, it was very much how I remembered my Direction Days and this was how I wanted it to go for the freshmen. At the end of the day their class left with smiles on their faces, and that really cemented that what we were doing was important.”

Despite the face masks and social distancing, everyone involved had a fun time, and remembered the  true purpose of Direction Days.

“When we initially decided that this was going to be a short, one-day thing, it forced me to reflect on what it is about Direction Days that’s essential,” said Deves. “To have a fun encounter with your classmates and to get to know a senior advisor who cares for you and is looking after you—that’s what Direction Days is all about. In the future, things might change, but we will always keep those same elements.”