Nest of the Class School uses class time to connect after year of remote learning
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bell rings at the end of New Albany High School’s fifth period class, but the classroom doesn’t empty out. The next 15 minutes are devoted to nest, a new daily program that checks in on students while giving them time to bond with teachers and one another. A nest period looks different each day, with some days structured by school needs and others left up to teachers. The periods can include a class discussion, video or even a relationship-building game of Uno. “We have a fifth period academic time and directly at the end it’s the
nest period,” says math teacher Ashley Langenderfer. “It’s school-wide so it really flows pretty seamlessly. During that nest time, everybody’s asked to step aside from the academic piece of the period to focus on what we have to do that day in nest.” Langenderfer is one of eight teacher leaders for nest, though she often allows students to lead the sessions themselves. “We have discussions where I let the students drive,” Langenderfer says. “I’m helping facilitate, but I’m also very much listening to what they have to say.” Listening to the students was a key point for Patrick Gallaway, director of communications for New Albany-Plain
Local Schools. He says nests goals came largely from surveying the students. “We’re asking questions like, ‘How do you feel welcomed at school?’ or, ‘Do you have one trusted adult here?’” Gallaway says. “These are simple questions that are vital to creating a sense of community for our students.” That sense of community was an important factor for Tim Mathews, a social studies teacher and nest teacher leader. “It kind of helped highlight one of the gaps I think we’ve had for many years here,” Mathews says. “Students sometimes feel just a little disconnected from the larger school culture. Many of them
Cade Leggio (left) and Ryan Liu (right), seniors in Ashley Langenderfer’s nest class, participate in team building games, including corn hole. 26
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Photos by Patrick Galloway
By Lindsey Capritta
