ompson students to see a “mostly normal” school year

BACK-TO-SCHOOL TIME

July 29, 2021

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor Thompson students to see a “mostly normal” school year

By Dan Karpiel

The Surveyor

As the beginning of the 2021-22 school year approaches, students at all levels in the Thompson School District (TSD) will see a much more normal-looking school year from what they have experienced since March of 2020. Students at all grades levels across the district will be in school, in-person, full time while social distancing measures, mask mandates and other such pandemic-related stipulations that defined the last year-plus are no more. Sports and other extra-curricular activities are also expected to return to pre-pandemic format; shortened seasons, adjusted schedules, mask requirements and the like have been removed.

While TSD leadership was quick to point out that extra precaution measures will be in place, public education in the district will look and feel a lot more like 2019 than like 2020 and the spring semester of 2021.

“It will feel more normal still with the caveat that there are still precautions in place … it will be normal as long as we can maintain a safe atmosphere,” said TSD Chief perations fficer Todd Piccone. It will feel normal but we’re still living with C ID and that’s not going away so we have the plans in the later steps behind to make sure everyone is still protected,”

The optimism and excitement for the upcoming school year were palpable with the district officials who discussed in detail the plans for - education with the Surveyor last Thursday.

The students are equally excited. It’s definitely going to be a relief. I can guarantee there’s going to be a lot of kids who didn’t get to see a lot of each other and I think everyone is going to en oy the school year a lot more ust because we don’t have so many nitty-gritty restrictions,” said incoming Berthoud High School (BHS) junior Christian Foxworth. Foxworth participated in a feedback session along with student representatives from all TSD schools last spring where they shared their thoughts and feelings with district leadership, including Superintendent Dr. Marc Schaffer. oxworth’s sentiments were echoed by Ally Padilla, who will begin her senior year at HS next month. Said Padilla, I am definitely looking forward to things going back to normal, I really miss it, freshman year was really the only year I had that was a full year of school that I got to experience everything I wanted to and if my senior year is able to do that again I think it would be a great way to go out … I think students will be really happy to be able to see each other without any constrictions.” aylee Padilla, Ally’s younger sister, and a soon-to-be freshman at HS, described the last year-plus at Turner Middle School as “challenging” and “frustrating,” saying, “I think the inconsistency of it all, we were always changing, all the kids try to be on the same page and when you’re online and then go in-person it’s hard to know where everyone is at. Caylee is also eager to see the expected return to normalcy, It’s really about the experience that you remember at school so it’s really important to have that full experience. Now, it will make learning easier and more enjoyable.”

All three students are also heavily involved in athletics and said the restrictions placed not only on their sports but on the school day made their favorite extra-curricular hobbies less enjoyable. Ally explained that, as an accomplished member of the HS cross-country, basketball, and track and field teams, being able to adequately fuel and hydrate her body prior to games, meets, and practices was made difficult as most teachers refused to allow students to remove their masks to eat or drink. There were definitely times where I became frustrated because I felt like I couldn’t get into a good place during the day to get myself ready to do athletics, I run a lot and we need to be hydrated, especially during track when it was so hot and hydration is a big part and it became frustrating when I felt like I couldn’t eat or hydrate as much as I needed to,” Ally said.

The return to a much greater semblance of normalcy, all three students said, will not only make learning easier but will also be a great boost to their mental and emotional health. This fact is not lost on district leadership as Dawne Huckaby, TSD Chief Academic fficer explained, Students learn through the experiences, the shared culture and experience are important so getting back into school together, we’ve been working, especially at the secondary level with some cooperative learning structures that will help to continue to engage kids in the learning process.”

Equally important, Huckaby said, is for the students who may be struggling not only academically but also emotionally, to have the support structure of teachers, counselors and staff in place. Huckaby said that “when students were remote, it was easy for them to be remote,” but with the return to full-time inperson instruction, It’s easier for them to be seen by an adult connections can be made, greater opportunity for adults to observe behaviors and we can be more proactive in responding to a student that may be experiencing some depression.”

Piccone explained that the district will work hand-in-hand with arimer County health authorities should adjustments to the plan be needed. TSD revised the definition of an outbreak from two positives cases in a school upwards to five positives and said that each school will be treated uni uely to their own circumstances.

Piccone also said the district will be providing access to the vaccine for students, staff, and parents at each school at their respective Back to School nights next month and the TSD will have roving vaccine operations that will travel from school to school this fall. Currently, anyone over the age of 12 is eligible for the vaccine, and, according to county data as of Wednesday, July 21, 35.2% of county residents age 11-17 are fully vaccinated and 40.8% have received at least one dose.

Controversial Critical Race Theory not included in TSD curriculum

The subject of Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a part of the American education lexicon over the last year. The controversial and largely academic theory which is highly complex and detailed essentially posits that systematic racism is a part of American society. Critical race theory is a practice. It’s an approach to grappling with a history of white supremacy that re ects the belief that what’s in the past is in the past, and that the laws and systems that grow from that past are detached from it,” Kimberlé Crenshaw, a founding critical race theorist and a law professor who teaches at UC A and Columbia University, wrote on CNN.com.

While in une members of the National ducation Association, the county’s largest teachers’ union, approved a plan to promote teaching C T in all states, the theory will in no way be a part of the TSD curriculum. “We do not teach Critical ace Theory, anywhere, we teach the content standards and it’s not in our Colorado Academic Standards,” Huckaby said emphatically.

The 2021-22 school year will begin on Aug 16. for all kindergarten, sixth and ninth-grade students and for all other students on Aug. 17.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL TIME

July 29, 2021

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor What teens should know about vaping and e-cigarettes

Special to the Surveyor

Teenagers confront a considerable amount of peer pressure as they navigate their way through adolescence. One of the more challenging situations teens confront is the pressure to smoke. Thankfully, anti-smoking campaigns have made great strides in preventing the number of young people who smoke tobacco products.

According to the American Lung Association, in 2015 9.3 percent of high school students reported smoking cigarettes in the past 30 days. That’s a remarkable 74 percent decline from 1997. That’s encouraging news, though there’s still a lot of work to do to help teens avoid smoking entirely.

Modern teens face challenges regarding tobacco that are entirely different from those faced by their parents decades ago. Back then, cigarettes were the primary, most readily available tobacco product. But teens now must also confront e-cigarettes and the mountain of misinformation about them. The ALA highlights the following facts about e-cigarettes to help teens make healthy choices.

• E-cigarettes are not safer than traditional cigarettes.

E-cigarettes, an umbrella term that includes vapes, hookah pens or JUULS, have not been proven to be a safe alternative to cigarettes. Like traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are inhaled and the products produce an aerosol cloud of nicotine or other substances.

• JUUL pods contain nicotine.

The ALA notes that every JUUL pod contains nicotine, and some even claim to have as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, regularly smoking products that contain nicotine is considered a major preventable cause of premature death and disability.

• JUUL smoke may look different, but it›s very similar to regular cigarette smoke.

The ALA notes that the aerosol cloud produced by JUUL smoke tends to look different from the smoke clouds produced by other e-cigarettes and even traditional cigarettes. However, JUUL smoke contains many of the same chemicals as traditional cigarettes. The American Cancer Society notes that some of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke include formaldehyde, lead, arsenic, carbon monoxide, and ammonia.

• Even “nicotine-free” e-cigarettes likely contain nicotine.

According to the ALA, there are no rules governing how e-cigarettes or e-juice are made, so there’s no way for consumers to know exactly what these products contain. But the ALA says virtually all e-cigarettes contain nicotine, even those that imply they don›t.

• The adolescent brain is sensitive to the effects of

nicotine.

A 2012 study published in Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine found that the adolescent brain is especially sensitive to the effects of nicotine. Studies of people who smoked during adolescence concluded that such people were at increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment later in life.

Modern teens may not feel the same pressure to smoke traditional cigarettes as teens did in recent decades. But the pressure to try harmful e-cigarettes can be significant, and teens who learn about these dangerous products may be better equipped to resist them.

Community giving starts at school

Special to the Surveyor

When people want to give back, many look to support national charities and other causes that they hold near and dear. Certainly these are worthwhile causes. However, giving back on a local level is a great way to help the people you see every day.

Schools are the heart of many communities. School buildings may serve as gathering spaces for sports practices or meetings for various organizations. Even though schools are likely to receive municipal funding for certain operations, budgets are frequently being cut and schools may need all the help they can get. This year the boundaries of the budget may be pushed even further as schools revamp their spaces and implement certain safety protocols to confront the pandemic. Now more than ever schools may need help. Here’s how to do just that. • Volunteer your time. Find out ways you can volunteer time at school. This may be helping teachers make copies of assignments, supervising children at recess or lunch hours, serving as a chaperone at school functions, or being a coach or mentor for afterschool activities. • Attend and participate in fundraisers. Fundraisers are essential to help offset costs for many special events and services for students. Whenever possible, give wisely through fundraisers. • Provide supplies for classrooms. Teachers often have to supplement their classrooms with supplies bought out of pocket. Reach out to teachers to see which items they need and do your best to supply them. • Join the PTA or a similar school-sanctioned organization. Many groups perform functions that facilitate strong connections between home and school. Joining and working with such organizations can improve the school experience for everyone. • Buy “Box Tops”-affiliated products. The Box Tops for Education program donates $0.10 per box top label collected and submitted by schools back to that school. More than 80,000 elementary schools have earned money through the program to buy equipment and supplies. Box Tops can be found on many different food packages. • Treat the teacher. In addition to supporting Teacher Appreciation Days and other school events, send in an uplifting note, snack or another way of showing you appreciate his or her efforts.

Schools play integral roles in many communities, and efforts to give back can begin on campus or through school-sponsored programs.