Wrapping up 2020

Well 2020, I am struggling to find one adjective that adequately sums you up. I wouldn’t go as far as saying you were ‘fun’. ‘Challenging’ is definitely an understatement. And to be fair, ‘awful’ might be a step too far.

Let’s start from the beginning. Most of us would have started the year in the typical fashion – watching the fireworks with family and friends and raising a glass to new beginnings. 2020 was the start of a special year, one in which the first two digits match the second two digits and the sum of its parts match the number of digits – an exciting year for mathematicians at least!

At DESC, we were looking forward to various overseas trips – the annual Battlefields trip, Rosslyn Park and Iceland to name a few. We had countless sports fixtures, ECAs and tutor activities lined up. International Day was in the calendar and we were planning the Walk for Education – one charity event which fortunately took place moments before the revised Spring Break.

Then news of the virus broke. Everything was cancelled. In fact, the media first reported the outbreak of the virus in late 2019 when it was discovered in Wuhan (did anyone else question the ‘19’ in COVID-19 or was that just me?), but at that stage I don’t think any of us could have predicted the impact that the virus was going to have on all of our lives.

To count from 1 to 2020 would take on average around 33 minutes, and it sometimes feels like we barely had 33 minutes of normality in 2020 before our lives changed forever. Like the rest of the world, we entered lockdown. All of a sudden Friday brunches became Zoom quizzes with friends and popping to the shop was replaced with yet another Kibsons order. A Joe Wicks workout in the living room became part of the new routine and the items we previously used on a daily basis, such as perfume and hair straighteners, gathered dust on the chest of drawers.

‘WFH’ quickly became a new term in our vocabulary, where the majority of people worked from home rather than the office. ‘DL’ became our favourite buzzword at DESC as Distance Learning began, at first for just a few weeks, and in the end continuing until the first week in July. Students astounded us with their diligence and maturity and parents, we applaud you for keeping the momentum going at home despite having your own work and challenges to cope with. And of course, DESC staff, we cannot thank you enough for your huge efforts and ability to maintain such high standards throughout such a challenging period.

We then enjoyed a Dubai summer - a first for many of us teachers and families who usually fly to cooler climes to escape the scorching temperatures of July and August. Despite this being my eighth year in Dubai, I have to admit that the heat took me by surprise!

And then September came around. At last, a glimmer of normality as students walked through the doors for the first time in six months, albeit with masks and endless supplies of water weighing down their bags. We are extremely proud of the DESSC Community – staff, students and parents alike – in their commitment to education during what can only be described as trying times for us all. As we now approach the end of the longest term of the year (this year both physically and mentally!) we hope that you feel an even greater sense of community, as all of us have worked together to keep life at DESC as normal as possible despite the understandable restrictions we have faced.

But let’s also reflect on some of the positive news of the year. Global emissions decreased, pollution levels inevitably dropped, and the environment was largely left alone to re-establish itself in many parts of the world. Did you know that more turtles hatched eggs than ever before on the beaches of Mexico and the world’s first zero-emission flight took to the skies in the UK? In addition to the incredible work on the development of vaccines to combat COVID-19, scientists also discovered a microbe which could lead to the end of malaria once and for all (fingers crossed). So, there were some really positive news stories amongst the gloomy headlines after all.

We cannot guarantee when we will return to life as we knew it, but as a community we have adapted well to the circumstances we have faced and head into 2021 confident in our abilities to maintain our reputation as being the Best School in the UAE, even in the most extraordinary of times. And I suppose that’s got to be it – we’ll describe 2020 as an EXTRAORDINARY year in so many ways.

I’d like to wish the DESSC Community a very happy and restful Festive Break.

Warm wishes and stay safe.

Lucy Petith

Assistant Headteacher