As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to significantly impact our society, the administration quickly became determined to provide the Hill community with access to the vaccine. With nearly 83% of the eligible student body on pace to be fully vaccinated by May 13, the administration is hoping to create a safer and more normal environment for the last six weeks of the school year. 

Having developed a prior relationship with Rite Aid for the flu vaccination clinic, Hill communicated with this company for nearly two months about the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on campus. “I continued to reach out to them because our goal is to make it to graduation and provide the 6th formers with the most normal experience possible,” Heather Gelting, director of human resources, explained.   

Knowing Rite Aid was expecting supply in the beginning of April, the administration sent out an email to parents on April 1 with TBD dates. On April 2, the school found out Rite Aid healthcare workers would be able to travel to campus on April 8 and provide students with the Pfizer vaccine. The administration quickly assembled a team to begin working on the consent form, effective communication with parents and the clinic layout on campus. 

“We immediately stopped what we were doing to make this happen because this was a significant step toward community health,” Kristin Spencer, Hill’s medical director, said. 

In the Mercer Field House on April 8, 273 students received their first dose of the vaccine. An additional 41 students have independently arranged for the vaccination. 

“When we learned the vaccine was becoming more widely available, we believed we were eligible because we are a residential campus. This is an honor for our school because we were the first high school in the state of Pennsylvania to have this opportunity,” Gelting said. 

When the students checked in, they received a card with an exit time. They were advised to drink a bottle of water before getting vaccinated and wait in the field house for 15 minutes afterward. When their time was up, they checked out at another table, and they were offered a card for the waffle truck as well as Tylenol. 

“I had an overall positive experience,” Chelsea Mills ’22 said. “I was really surprised that they handled the clinic so professionally, and I feel very fortunate to have been able to receive the vaccine.” 

With a large number of the student body obtaining the vaccine, the administration looks forward to conducting more activities within our campus bubble. 

“If boarding students are not having outside exposures, we have a really high level of confidence that the 6th form will be able to congregate at graduation more than they would have been able to before,” Dean of Students Ari Baum said. That being said, the school is still very mindful of the case numbers rising, and they expect students to remain cautious for the rest of the school year.