SECTION HEAD UNWAVERING
Math teacher Kathy MacKenzie gets ready to greet her AP Computer Science students during the early days of remote learning this spring.
UNWAVERING IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY by Janet Reynolds, Admissions and Advancement Assistant
Friday, March 13, 2020, 12:35 p.m.: In the midst of the rapidly developing concern over the spread of COVID-19, teachers and students at Ursuline Academy are informed that the school building will close and all classes will be held via remote learning for two weeks beginning on Monday, March 16. Earlier that day, teachers held practice “remote learning” sessions with the school technology team as a temporary shutdown of the school appeared to be inevitable. Teachers, students, and staff were sent home laden with books, iPads, and the promise of a new chapter of learning in the days ahead. On Monday, March 16, at 8 a.m., Ursuline teachers and students began operating on their remote learning platform. Only days into their two-week furlough, Governor Charlie Baker issued a directive for all schools to remain closed through at least May 4. On April 21, the closure was extended through the end of the current school year. With a situation that quickly developed nationwide, educators all over the country scrambled to design and deliver the daily experience of “school” in a vastly different way than usual. Here’s how Ursuline Academy rose to the occasion and has been managing the highs and lows of distance learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
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