Thanks @compmom and @collegemom3717
The resilience angle is good and true. It looks like a disaster on the transcript, but in reality he worked harder than ever and learned a lot and made new friends. That took a whole lot more than getting an 3.8 at his previous school, which is a well regarded public school.
Where would you put this information? Would you make it the main personal essay (I was hoping he could do something more positive), on the optional COVId part (but there are far more compelling and heartbreaking stories than this). Or somewhere else?
Thanks