School News: Saint John Berchmans Reopens

Ashley Timmons

St. John Berchmans Catholic School reopened its doors on Monday, August 10 for our traditional five days a week, face-to-face learning for K3-8th grade, with 7 families opting for our fully virtual Home Academy program.

After spending the summer moving desks around and strategically placing plastic sheeting in the classrooms and cafeteria, we were able to meet and sometimes exceed CDC guidelines and can now accommodate students comfortably in a classroom with plenty of room for physical distancing. Students in grades 3-8 and all faculty and staff are following the mask mandate; while they are not required to, many of our younger students wear the masks as well.

Every student, faculty, staff, and parent entering SJB has their temperature checked and uses the hand sanitizing stations installed strategically around the school. In the near future, we will have a thermal scanner to read body temperature, an ionic partical air filtration system, and a water bottle filling station to replace the water fountains which were disabled as a safety precaution.

“Most of our classes are full because of the demand for inperson learning. As a small school, one thing we can do that large public systems cannot is to be reactive to our own situation. We are fortunate to able to go to school and have face-to-face connections while maintaining a safe environment,” says principal Dr. Deason. “Students are eager to come back to school. It’s important for them to connect with their friends and interact.”

School counselor Sarah Duncan points out the psycho-emotional impact of returning to the brickand-mortar schoolhouse, “The psychological toll of isolation is significant, and we find that children crave the routine and rituals in our school culture. We are not made to be alone, and when we experience fear, we have found that we are stronger when we are together, safely.”

Our pastor, Father Peter Mangam, gave our first homily and referenced the story of St. Peter walking on water, doing that seemingly impossible thing, and faltering in his fear, and then hearing those beautiful words, “Be not afraid.”

Students practice social distancing with desktop barriers to create a safer learning environment.

Ava Grace Keyser