On Sept. 17, as the 6:00pm hour rolled around, student guardians started to go to their devices to log on to their Back to School Night classes. 

This night was unique compared to past Back to School Nights, as it wasn’t in classrooms in person, but virtually on zoom. 

“I did the same thing I do with all Back to School Nights. I played the music the way I do at the beginning of class and I took roll and I was myself,” said visual and performing arts teacher Valerie O’Riordan, who has been teaching at Riordan for 21 years. 

This night was overall different for the Riordan community. Who would have thought that parents would be meeting their students’ teachers on screens instead of classrooms? 

Dealing with a pandemic means adjusting to new ways of life, and challenges are a part of that, like being prepared on how to approach and execute events. 

According to Principal Tim Reardon, the format received positive messages.  

“We just had to set up the schedule, create a couple of introductory videos, and organize the Zoom tech,” he said. “After that, the teachers stole the show, as they always do.”

The event, which lasted for an hour and a half, seemed to have been a success for everyone who attended. 

Dean of Academics Nate Simon ’98 said parents and teachers conveyed that the event was “Well formatted, easy to navigate.” 

Parent Samantha Huebly agreed, saying, “Back to School Night was organized and well formatted, as well as helpful in telling the parents what they needed to know.”