As the first reports of coronavirus cases appeared in China in December 2019, few could have predicted how the entire world would be impacted just a few short months later. When Missouri Military Academy cadets returned to campus for the spring semester in January 2020, they looked forward to completing the year as usual.

By February, however, the world health situation began to dictate changes.

At the time, there seemed to be little cause for alarm — no cases had been reported in Missouri, and the local area was not yet directly affected. As more information began to emerge about the virus, however, cadets began to see changes on campus.

Faculty and staff quickly implemented protocols such as an increased focus on proper handwashing and increased cleaning and disinfecting in order to reduce risk and support the health of the MMA community. MMA increased communications with parents to notify them of MMA’s response to COVID-19, with a first email message sent from MMA President Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret), on February 6, 2020, to let families know MMA was monitoring cadet, faculty and staff travel as well as COVID developments around the world.

By the time cadets left for spring furlough on March 7, 2020, cases in Missouri were appearing.

“Timing was everything for MMA’s success in completing the spring 2020 semester with in-person classes,” said President Geraci.

MMA made the decision, working closely with the Audrain County Health Department, to move forward with education in the spring semester. Cadets returned to campus ahead of the events that led many military and boarding schools and college campuses to close their doors for the semester before their own students returned from spring break.

Still, approximately 20 percent of MMA families opted to keep their cadets home after the furlough due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

On March 13, coinciding with the declaration of the national emergency and two days prior to cadets’ return from spring furlough, President Geraci announced a 21-day campus containment period to help slow any potential spread of the virus within the local community and reduce risk to cadets.

MMA faculty went the extra mile to provide education for those cadets who remained at home. Simultaneously conducting class in-person and online required dedication to learning new technology and a shift in how faculty approached teaching.

The containment policy planned for 21 days was extended indefinitely, and parents and cadets adjusted to no visits or family weekends for the remainder of the spring semester.

“No one knew this was coming, and the pressure was on to create engaging activities,” says Cadet Battalion Commander John Murphy ’20, who held the highest position of cadet leadership during the spring 2020 semester.

Murphy and other cadet leaders collaborated with Commandant R. L. Grabowski, Colonel, USMC (Ret), and his staff to brainstorm activities to keep cadets occupied and engaged beyond their academic work and military drill. X-Box competitions, outdoor challenges, frequent cookouts and even a new Frisbee golf course were put in place for cadets.

“It was very hard, but I think the corps did a good job with the contained campus,” Murphy says. “Leadership started from the top down with President Geraci. It was important that MMA was not going to shut down, was not going to go virtual and was not going to panic. We didn’t see the worst. We saw what we could make of this.”

MMA successfully reached the end of the spring 2020 semester with no COVID cases reported on campus.

“What I learned the most from MMA’s response [to the pandemic] and from seeing other schools shut down was that everyone else seemed to panic,” Murphy says. “We had the choice to stand firm, weather it through and get the most out of it — or to panic. We stayed the course to graduation.”

With the departure of cadets for the summer, campus life shifted. Approximately 20 international cadets remained on campus, unable to return home because of the pandemic in their home countries. In late summer, MMA cadets returned to campus for athletic camps and leadership cadre camp, and MMA prepared to launch the academic year under what had become a new normal.

“MMA’s commitment to keeping cadets safe, maintaining an in-person academic, athletic and boarding school experience was challenged during the pandemic in ways we had not seen before,” says Dr. Victoria Snider Thompson, Board of Trustee member and chair of the Cadet Life Committee. “The commitment of faculty and staff, plus their professionalism and creativity, were key in enabling MMA to successfully remain open.”

The campus containment policy initiated in March continued, permitting only those activities essential to cadet learning and activities. President Geraci made the decision for MMA to invest in state-of-the-art video equipment to livestream athletics and other school events.

Following the success of the virtual Maroon & Gold Gala in March 2020, livestreaming events were an important lifeline to help parents stay connected to their cadets’ activities.

Throughout the semester, cadets, faculty and staff wore masks, practiced social distancing, and upheld other COVID protocols to the greatest extent practical and possible. Daily temperature checks, symptom monitoring, contact tracing and quarantining became the norm as MMA worked to limit any potential cases or transmission.

In October, MMA suffered a sad blow with the loss of Vice President for Institutional Advancement Bob Belknap after a battle with COVID-19. Following protocols for contact tracing, no subsequent cases of COVID were identified among cadets, staff or faculty.

“The pandemic has tested everyone’s resilience from cadets to faculty to parents,” says Dean Davison ’78, member of the MMA Board of Trustees. “We mourn the losses caused by the cruel virus and share the heartache, and we know we have learned important lessons about ourselves and about MMA. As a Trustee and an alum, it makes me extraordinarily proud to see how cadets and staff have carried on our traditions and created new ones. We are a stronger school today because of the leadership that the MMA team has shown.”

After Thanksgiving, eight positive cases among cadets were confirmed, all with mild or no symptoms. MMA continued to follow its outlined COVID policies to isolate those cadets on campus and mitigate risk to others, while at the same time educating them via online learning.