Academy’s Rapid Shift to Virtual Schooling

THE ACADEMY’S RAPID SHIFT TO Virtual Schooling

On Friday, March 13, Academy students walked the halls for the final time of the 2019-2020 school year. Only four days later, teachers and students were introduced to full-time virtual learning, not knowing that it would last for the remainder of the school year. Most did not expect this drastic change, but Academy administration and teachers immediately jumped into action. On Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17, teachers spent their time in professional development to prepare for virtual schooling to launch on Wednesday. Fortunately, high school students use technology every day and most of their books are already in a digital format. Other things took more time to prepare, such as making sure engineering students had access to computer-aided design (CAD) software and art students had to-go bags with supplies for unfinished projects. High School Principal Stephanie Nitchals said the biggest challenge was the speed in which teachers had to make the conversion from in-person to online teaching. Usually, there are 10 weeks over summer to plan for the next school year, but the “new normal” of virtual schooling gave them only days to prepare. The flexibility of her teachers impressed Nitchals the most. “They didn’t complain about it. They met the challenge. Our teachers put an incredible amount of time and effort into making sure the girls learned what they needed to learn to be ready for AP exams and to get all of the content needed for the next school year.” With high school classes shortened to one hour, teachers adapted their lesson plans to make the most of their time. High school English teacher Melissa Cox explained, “It became a process of eliminating, simplifying and focusing on what mattered most. I overplan sometimes. I like to do a lot of activities in the classroom, but for virtual, I needed to make sure that the time they were spending with me synchronously wasn’t overwhelming.” The Elementary School hit the ground running and was virtual by Wednesday, as well. For the first two weeks leading up to spring break, teachers tried different online strategies to see what worked best for younger students and then adapted accordingly. Teachers noticed students struggling with screen fatigue, so after spring break, the middle school adjusted its schedule to make Wednesdays “flex days.” Students attended their regularly scheduled classes online from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. (with an hour break for lunch and recess) on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday was used as a time for students to catch up and ask teachers questions during virtual office hours. This schedule

seemed to work very well for middle school students. Elementary School Principal Bridgid Fishman said her biggest challenge was finding the right balance in pre-K through 4th grade. She refered to “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and explained that some families thought the schedule and amount of work were just right, while some thought it was too much or too little. Though virtual schooling was challenging for lower grade levels, teachers kept connections with their students by maintaining morning meetings and prayer. It was also important to provide an atmosphere for expressing faith, so for the month of May, teachers shared a calendar with families that had things to do each day as devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The unexpected switch to virtual schooling was not an easy undertaking for teachers, students or parents, but when faced with challenges, the Academy community always seems to support one another and persevere. Fishman said, “Who could have predicted this? Teachers and families have proven their flexibility, and kids are really resilient. We always say that, but they proved it this year.”

Academy parent and 4th-grade teacher Denise Cebollero phrased her experience perfectly:

“It takes a village. I can’t say that enough. The Academy family pulled together and made this happen to give our students a quick and nearly seamless transition. It wasn’t easy, yet we left it all at God’s feet and put in our faith. This process has made me recognize, even more than before, just how special it is to be an Academy Jaguar. In a time of uncertainty, I saw nothing but love, concern, faith and generosity come from our faculty, staff, students and families. Academy PRIDE: yesterday, today and forever in my heart.”