As well as the year of pandemics, wildfires and crazy house prices, 2020 has also been the year of ‘phases’. First it was the phases of the pandemic (FYI technically we are still in phase 1), then it was the phases or reopening the State and now we are wrapping our heads around the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Phases.
The Club's mission is to empower every child to reach their full potential. We help them to achieve this goal through a myriad of different ways; helping them do their homework, providing a space in the art room to develop their creative side, offering opportunities such as our backpacking trip, or teaching them life skills through our Junior Volunteering and Teen Enterprise programs. We try to capture some of the ways we impact our members, and the community, in our annual impact report and it is interesting to see how some of our data and statistics differ from year to year.
Back when the schools closed in March, we never thought that they would have to remain closed into the fall. Scientists and medical experts suggested otherwise, but here at the Club we like to be optimistic. Sadly, the experts were right and the level of COVID-19 in our community means that it is not safe to reopen our California schools in a traditional format. On the Nevada side, the small size of both Zephyr Cove and Whitell means that they can accommodate social distancing and we are delighted for those members who will get to return to school on the 31st.
Now that we are past the July 4th holiday and firmly into the Tahoe summer, thoughts are naturally turning to the fall and what the next school year is going to look like. We have faced a lot of questions this week regarding the spike in local Covid-19 cases and what that means for the Club; and what happens if schools don't reopen and remain online in the fall. The short answer to those questions are: the Club will do everything possible to continue to support our members, families and community.