Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 154, No. 31
INSIDE
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Kennett schools will reopen remotely on Sept. 8 By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
The Kennett Consolidated School District Board of Education on Monday unanimously approved Superintendent Dr. Dusty Blakey’s remote reopening Digital timeline of local model at a special meethistory...1B ing. With that approval, the model, which calls for the school year to start on Sept. 8, will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The submitted plan applies to the actions of the first marking period, which ends on Nov. 13. Plans for the
Emergency responder training resumes...4A
continued execution will be addressed at the October school board meeting. The board does not ordinarily meet in August, but needed to resolve the question of how the schools would reopen in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has proven to have the potential to be spread widely if the necessary precaustions aren’t taken. Blakey presented his report based on the need to both educate the students and keep them safe. He reminded the board and the 424 people who had accessed the Zoom online presentation
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
eral KHS students and graduates of color a forum to share their grievances against the school for what they deem has been racial insensitivity and marginalization of African-American and Hispanic students over the past several decades. On July 31, however, event organizers – and KHS graduates – Naomi Simonson, Daniela Carmona and Kassie Allyon -- decided to postpone the event on the recommendation of officials in the Kennett Consolidated School District, who
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expressed concern that the event could possibly lead to legal action against the organizers. In its place, a virtual event will be held on Aug. 8, beginning at 1 p.m. (kcsdstudentconcerns@gmail. com.) In addition to guest speakers who will share their stories and concerns, the forum will be open to KHS students, alumni, school administration, teachers and families who live in the district. “We wanted it on one hand to be cathartic for stu-
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Obituaries............2B-3B
© 2007 The Chester County Press
and county were contradictory. He realized that he and the other heads of schools were on their own for making plans. One of the pieces of data that influenced his decision, he said, was the survey of faculty that yielded the majority felt more comfortable and safe with a totally remote model than in-person education. The bulk of the meeting was dedicated to presentations by administrators of the kindergarten, elementary schools, middle school, special populations and high school. They explained the
outcomes of their planning, utilizing a PowerPoint presentation. Greenwood Elementary School Principal Dr. Tracey Marino said the plans “….(M)irror the school day as much as possible) and aim to follow state Department of Education mandates.” This includes 180 instruction days and/or 990 hours of school. April Reynolds, who talked about the kindergarten program, said the curriculum includes motor activities as well. Director of Special Continued on Page 3A
dents past and present, to give them an opportunity to share their stories that may not have been heard or responded to the first time around,” Simonson said. “It was also an opportunity for the administration to listen to students in a way they hadn’t before. What you see throughout all the schools in the district is a lack of trust between students and the administrations, so we were hoping to present this event as a united front for everyone.” If there was a galvanizing
voice that inspired the now postponed Aug. 1 event, it was – and is – found in www.instagram.com/ blackbrownchestercountyspeak, which was created as a safe space for students of color throughout Chester County to share their stories of discrimination, racism, homophobia, bullying and marginalization, either from student to student or student to teacher/administrator. The forum has received posts from students in the Avon Grove, Coatesville, Continued on Page 4A
‘Always’ and ‘Sunny’: Chester County couple nearing end of Appalachian Trail journey
Opinion.......................7A Classifieds.................4B
that he originally had at first considered three options: inperson attendance, a hybrid model that included remote and in-person instruction, and a total remote option. He said he had surveyed his faculty as well as community members in order to make his decision. He admitted that, “No plan is perfect.” Blakey said he also sought advice from state and local agencies as well as from other nearby superintendents. His frustration was exacerbated, he said, because in many cases the information from the state
‘Kennett Students Speak’ postponed, Aug. 8 online event planned
Normally, the long steps at the front of Kennett High School are most known for their use at the school’s annual Commencement exercises, when each graduate gets to walk in the limelight of his or her achievement before an admiring audience seated below. On Aug. 1, those steps were to host “Kennett Students Speak,” a live A local hair salon celeevent that would give sevbrates 30 years...2A
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Last Wednesday afternoon, Kera Passante paused from the most incredible walk of her life to tell the story of how she and her boyfriend Bill Welch put their entire lives on hold this past March to walk the entirety of the 2,193-milelong Appalachian Trail, a massive undertaking for the courageous and the willing, that begins in Georgia and ends in Maine. The phone call was made from a stop on Bald Pate Photos courtesy of Bill Welch and Kera Passante Kera Passante and Bill Welch began their 2,200-mile Mountain near Bridgton, journey along the Appalachian Trail on March 4, and Maine - mile 1,928 on the Appalachian Trail – and just expect to complete their trek in late August.
moments before Passante and Welch began their descent of a summit that will lead them to several more peaks and valleys on their way to finishing a journey that began five months ago. For 34-year-old Welch – a West Chester native – and 32-year-old Passante -- who grew up in Kennett Square – the idea of embarking on America’s most famous trail took a serious turn during the couple’s hike through the Pennsylvania portion of the “A.T.” on Christmas Day in 2018. “It was something that we had both wanted to do since we were kids, and we kept
talking about the idea of someday hiking the entire trail,” Passante said. “But that day, our conversation took a giant leap forward. We asked ourselves, ‘How many times are we going to talk about this thing that we want to do? Let’s just do it.’” Welch and Passante promptly finished the hike, returned to their Malvern home and began what would become a planning process that would take them the next 15 months. Piece by piece and obligation by obligation, they put their life on hold. As winter became spring, they Continued on Page 3A
Moe and Lucy – Reunited at the Rainbow Bridge
A writer with local connections has written a touching, timeless tale of life, loss, and love everlasting Nancy Johnson’s whimsical and heartwarming new book, Moe and Lucy – Reunited at the Rainbow Bridge came about after the family’s beloved Jack Russell terrier named Moe passed away. “Initially, I wanted to write Moe and Lucy -Reunited at the Rainbow Bridge to help myself heal from a broken heart,” Johnson said. “The unexpected loss of my son’s Jack Russell terrier, Moe, hit me extremely hard.” Johnson, a former staff writer with the Chester
County Press, started writing down some ideas for a story while Maize was cuddled up in her lap. Moe and Lucy had four litters of 16 puppies together, including a dog named Maize, also one of Johnson’s beloved pets. “I thought about Maize being the very last of all the puppies Moe and Lucy had together and then suddenly I envisioned Moe and Lucy reunited together in a happy afterlife,” Johnson explained. Lucy helps Moe explore what is beyond the Rainbow
Bridge—the most amazing dog park anywhere. She also helps him learn how to stay connected with his loving family here on Earth. According to Johnson, the story that she crafted is appropriate as a story time book for young children or for middle readers to read themselves, but the touching, timeless tale has a wider audience—anyone who has ever had to say goodbye to a special dog. Johnson explained, “While writing this book, I became keenly aware of the Continued on Page 5A