Navigating COVID-19 Together While Apart

Swivl Cameras Revolutionize Learning

When it became clear that the 2020-21 school year would begin with students learning from home, Salpointe and the Salpointe Catholic Education Foundation invested in Swivl robotic camera technology to provide students with live, synchronous classes. Swivl cameras follow teachers in the classroom as they use Promethean boards, maps and other visual aids to enrich learning, all while facilitating real-time interaction between faculty and students. While there is no substitute for the classroom learning environment, Swivl cameras allowed for dynamic instruction and connection during a challenging year.

A Virtual Mass Experience

Celebrating Mass as a community is a vital component of Salpointe’s holistic education. In response to the restrictions on in-person worship, the Campus Ministry Department, like many churches around the world, turned to technology. Salpointe’s Carmelite intern Br. Filiberto Oregel, O.Carm., mastered the art of live streaming and helped to bring monthly Masses into the homes of Lancer students. Salpointe returned to small inperson Masses in the spring and looks forward to all-school Masses resuming next school year.

Sisters Spread Joy to the Elderly

Many senior citizens residing in assisted living facilities suffered this year without visits from friends and loved ones. Lancers Mariam ’22 and Zainab ’24 Rana created beautiful and inspiring greeting cards to help strengthen and lift residents’ spirits through the Pima Love Notes program.

Expanding Library Resources

Salpointe’s Librarian, Neil Diamante, recognized the need to provide students with additional resources during the pandemic. He identified and obtained a vast assortment of ebooks and textbooks students needed for success during distance and hybrid learning. With restricted access to public libraries in mind, Neil also worked with faculty to prepare lesson plans using resources available right on campus.