Schools continue to find solutions
Photo by JOSH McDONALD Students at Kellogg High School stand in line as they wait for their turn to drop off their completed homework and pick up their newest batch of assignments as part of the school’s soft closure.
KELLOGG — It feels like just about everything that happens these days is some sort of monumental showing of our ability to overcome the odds, especially in regard to our local schools.
Kellogg, Wallace and Mullan school districts have all adopted and adapted to virtual and remote learning strategies with a great deal of success.
The Kellogg School District adopted these virtual and remote strategies just prior to the other local schools and had already accumulated more than two weeks of schoolwork that needed to be turned in for teachers to review and grade as the school year winds down.
On Wednesday morning, the staff and administrators at Kellogg’s middle and high schools undertook another daunting task when they organized a homework drop-off/pick-up for their roughly 600 students grades six through 12.
Students from KMS had it slightly easier as the students are clearly defined by their grade levels, which made for a simple curbside exchange.
However, at KHS, where students are defined by the classes they take and not the grade that they are in, it required more effort from both the staff and the students (or their family members).
Students lined up — while maintaining defined social distancing requirements — beginning at the breezeway and stretching all the way into the school parking lot.
Students then filed through, dropped their assignments off into the boxes labeled for each teacher, while picking up the lesson plan packets for each specific class that they are taking.
The task wasn’t easy and was essentially an “all-hands-on-deck” performance from the schools’ staff, who are also adjusting to their new roles as educators from a distance.
“It went very well at Kellogg Middle School,” said KMS Principal Dan Davidian. “That was due to the help of everyone involved. This has become the new normal and I think most people are making the adjustment. It’s not easy.”
KSD Superintendent Dr. Nancy Larsen has been a very capable captain as she has navigated the largest district in the Silver Valley through this trying time and was complimentary of her staff’s ability to adapt.
She also was thrilled by the turnout as it showed her that her students and their families are taking their education seriously even if it is happening in an unconventional way.
“It was a monumental day for the Kellogg School District,” Dr. Larsen said. “This ‘out of the box’ event was well planned and involved nearly every employee in our district with each building designing the best plan for their situations. I am so proud of the team work and dedication they demonstrated. It really shows how important it is to them to keep our students learning. Even more, it was a demonstration of our families' concerns for their children. We had about an 87% participation rate and even more parents picking up at the District Office today (Thursday). We appreciate their support throughout this time.”
This undertaking has required near-superhuman levels of participation from cooperating entities, including the Kellogg School District’s technology department, who has made sure that virtual learning is a veritable option.
While many schools in Idaho are struggling to provide students with devices, KSD technology director Simon Miller has that covered, but is facing another obstacle that he is working to overcome.
The Silver Valley’s internet struggles.
“We have enough district-provided Chromebooks to meet our needs,” Miller said. “Chromebooks are our secure device type, and can remain secure when they leave our network. Devices aren’t our challenge — connectivity is.”
Fortunately, Miller along with several other groups have worked to create the Silver Valley Community Wi-Fi, which will give locals access to internet several places throughout the Silver Valley, including behind the Kellogg School District Office.
The Kellogg School District will continue to update parents via telephone and social media, which will include another homework pick-up/drop-off event in the future.
For more information, please contact the Kellogg School District at 208-784-1348.