Last Friday, we celebrated the Commencement of the Class of 2020 on our campus. It was a joy to see our seniors experience an in-person ceremony that honored them for their accomplishments and contributions to Valor. We are so proud of them!

Now as we turn our attention to the future, we are excited to gradually welcome our students back to campus. It is wonderful to see our summer activities roll out and to have students participating in athletic camps, arts preparations, and summer school. We will continue to monitor and respect health guidelines from the Tri-County Health Department, but we are encouraged by the Douglas County data, and it is our intent and expectation to launch the upcoming school year with over 1,100 students and our entire faculty team back on campus for in-person learning.

This pandemic has been devastating to our economy and many high schools have been required to strip their budgets and plan for canceled programs, decreased services, larger class sizes, and many other challenges. 

While Valor has also been impacted, we continue to invest in our programs and improvements such as increasing social-emotional health services, adding a variety of health and safety features, doubling down on hygiene, and enhancing our cleaning and disinfecting capabilities.

Additionally, we have upgraded technology to allow remote classroom access should students need to learn from afar if they are sick or more vulnerable. We will continue to offer a full range of classes, athletics, arts, and service opportunities through Discovery, and remain as committed as ever to our student outcomes and encouraging students in their individual pursuit of excellence.

One change is that we anticipate implementing a 7-period schedule rather than the 8-period format we have used in the past. This will allow us to split up lunches and control student flow between classes. We aren’t sure what guidelines will be in place for larger gatherings such as Community or Chapel, so we have built this schedule with the ability to implement these activities in smaller groups. We can also make adjustments to allow smaller classroom capacities if needed.

Keep an eye on the Return to School webpage for the most up to date information about course list distribution and on-campus learning.

Valor has established a COVID-19 Planning and Response Team made up of Valor’s Senior Leadership Team that is responsible for thoughtfully preparing guidelines to make a smooth, healthy, and safe transition back to campus for the 2020-2021 school year. This committee is establishing policies, procedures, and protocols for our return to campus in the fall. Please see Valor’s COVID-19 webpages to find more detailed resources that will provide you with answers to questions you may have. We will continue to update the information on these pages.

If, after reviewing our web resources, you have additional questions, please fill out this questionnaire so we can better direct our staff to help you as quickly and accurately as possible. Please note that Valor will be closed next week for our summer break, but we will be back on campus and available on July 6. We commit to keeping you informed with current information throughout the summer.

As we have stated before, the definition of “Valor” is courage in the face of adversity. We are built to lead in times such as this, and you can expect our very best efforts, wisdom, and actions as we face the year ahead. You can count on our resolve and commitment to approach this year with great enthusiasm, confidence, and joy for the privilege of partnering together in such a worthy endeavor as preparing tomorrow’s leaders to transform the world for Christ.

We know that God is fully in command and trust in His wisdom and guidance in the coming days and weeks.

Thank you for joining us as we remain committed to Influence Through Excellence,