n LOUDOUN
Pg. 4 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 6, NO. 26
Pg. 6 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
Pg. 10 | n OBITUARIES
We've got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com
Pg. 22 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
Pg. 26
MAY 27, 2021
Students Looking Ahead After COVID-19 Challenges BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
In the fall, Loudoun’s public school students will all be back in the classroom for the first time in more than a year—a year of protests and pandemic that, some educators worry, left them behind as they lost family members, social circles and class time. “We’ve had a lot that has happened over 2020 with the pandemic, with social unrest, and the youth of our county have taken that on the chin,” said Advisory Commission on Youth Chair Jeffrey Goldman when he gave the commission’s
annual report to county supervisors on May 18. “Really, their lives have changed for the most part, missing out on events, missing out on milestones, and, in April of 2020, I think the summary of our report in getting a pulse on the mental state was a quote along the lines of, ‘I feel like I’m in a black hole and I have no way out.’ Sobering stuff.” Freedom High School rising junior Anya Anand was one of those who chose to keep learning from home as some students returned to the classroom. At the time her family had to make that choice, she said, it seemed it could be until the summer before she was vaccinated, so the family chose safety. It was also less disrup-
tive, since she had already done an entire quarter online. And she said she has been able to learn remotely, although it has come with its own challenges. “I’ve had this conversation with a couple of my teachers. The first thing they’ll ask you is, ‘do you feel like you’ve learned anything this year?’” she said. “I do think I’ve learned a lot this year.” But she said it’s time for her to get back into the classroom, where she values the collaborative experience. “I think there might be some sort of adjustment, but I think the biggest thing I’m l looking forward to is just talking to my teachers and my classmates,” she said. “Honestly, there are people in my classes
I’ve probably had four classes with, and we’ve been with each other for an entire year—I couldn’t tell you what they look like.” There is one part of distance learning she would keep—the ability to record lessons to review again later, or if she misses class. And even for students eager to be back in the classroom, there will be a period of adjustment. “I think in general, just empathy would probably be the biggest thing,” Anand said. “It’s going to be a very different standard of learning going back into the classSCHOOL CHALLENGES continues on page 35
Metro Braces for Evolving Ridership BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
When the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority opens the new Silver Line stations in Loudoun early next year, Metrorail is expected to look very different than in the past. As Metro works to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic—while experiencing about an 80% drop in ridership, and operating with a budget that was only balanced with $723 million in relief funding—the agency’s leadership is wondering whether it has seen a permanent change in who is riding the rails. Before, Metro service was geared toward the rushhour commute to and from work. But toMETRORAIL continues on page 35
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
The future Ashburn Station by the Loudoun Station development waits for construction to wrap up and Metrorail trains to start running into Loudoun, expected in early 2022.
ECRWSS Postal Customer
Permit #1374 Merrifield VA
PAID
PRESRT STD U.S. Postage