BANDING TOGETHER

How CSG worked and is still working to meet the needs of students during a pandemic

One sunny afternoon on June 1, 2020, a parade was held at Columbus School for Girls on Columbia Avenue in celebration of the Class of 2020.

It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and CSG students were attending classes virtually. This day, however, members of the CSG community drove their cars up Columbia, and students and their families from the class of 2020 lined the street in a “reverse parade” format.

Like other schools across Ohio, CSG emerged from an extended spring break in 2020 to finish out the school year in a virtual format. The June celebration was just one way our community of parents, students, faculty, and staff have supported each other since the onslaught of COVID-19.

Staying the Course

Getting through a pandemic requires perseverance.

Our faculty and staff had already been examining the technology necessary for virtual learning prior to the pandemic. We had already selected a platform to be used for online learning and were working to roll it out. Still, when Governor Mike DeWine told schools they would be going virtual following spring break, the shift forced everyone to work extra hard to make learning happen at home.

The pandemic motivated teachers to learn how to use technology differently, creating innovative practices to meet the educational and social needs of students.

“We probably got five years of technology training in six months,” said Director of Middle School Pam Hartshorne.

Parents also had to be partners in learning, especially with our youngest students.

While pivoting to virtual learning took a great amount of effort and dedication, our faculty and staff had to again rally their strength to make a return to the classroom possible for the 20202021 school year.

From food service, to classroom layouts, to pick-up and drop-off, each aspect of the school day needed to be reevaluated to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff.

drawings to ensure classrooms and alternative learning spaces had proper social distancing. Families at home appreciated being included and met where they were. Those returning to school did so with a renewed appreciation of being together, in person.

One of the biggest things that faculty learned was that building relationships together in person, on campus, is crucial for academic engagement and well-being, for adults and especially for students.

“It was brought home to us powerfully because of the pandemic,” said Director of Upper School, Kellen Graham.

Making adjustments

While teachers welcomed many students back to campus last school year, they still had to adapt their teaching to accommodate other students who chose to learn virtually from home. This was just one of the ways in which our community learned to be flexible in the face of the countless challenges that the pandemic posed.

One important bridge between those learning at home and those returning to school were cameras purchased from Owl Labs that allowed for interactive engagement, zooming in on anyone who was speaking. The cameras were a useful tool, enabling virtual learners to access the physical classroom environment.

While faculty augmented their teaching during the pandemic to include Owl cameras, Zoom sessions and pre-recorded videos, they also had to reevaluate their curricula to determine what was essential. For many, this meant returning to CGS’s core competencies: communicating effectively, thinking analytically, seeking balance and wellness, leading confidently, thinking globally, and solving problems creatively.

The pandemic forced teachers to not only conduct their classrooms differently, but to learn different ways in which to preserve a sense of community—especially when learning was happening virtually. Younger students had the opportunity to eat lunch together via Zoom, and listen to their teachers read to them.

In Lower School during the virtual learning period, students had a day dedicated to community service.

“It just broke up some of the monotony of some of the online learning days,” said Lower School Director Betsy Gugle.

Community service was a focus for more than just Lower School students.

…building relationships

together in person, on campus, is crucial for academic engagement and well-being, for adults and especially for students.

Leading by Example

The pandemic inspired CSG students to support their community in a variety of ways. At the start of the pandemic in March of 2020, Cameron Tiefenthaler ’20 began making masks to address what at the time was a major shortage. Tiefenthaler, like other CSG students, was attending school virtually, and she used her expert sewing skills to construct the masks outside of class time.

She ended up making over 500 masks, which she donated to local healthcare workers, nursing homes, family, and friends.

“It feels great to use my skills to help and protect those who need it most,” Tiefenthaler said.

Donations such as Tiefenthaler’s were an important way that students advocated for others during the height of the pandemic. In December of 2020, the Upper School Swimming & Diving Team assembled over 60 care bags for the homeless with hand-written messages. Forty bags were dropped off at a local homeless shelter, and the rest were distributed throughout the community.

While some students gave out much-needed items, others gave of their time.

In April of 2020, Natalie Tangeman ’21 set up a speaker on the front lawn of assisted living facility Inniswood Village and serenaded a community of people who at the time were prevented from receiving visitors for health reasons. Residents stepped outside onto balconies and opened windows to hear her concert.

Whether they were singing, sewing, or assembling care packages, our students stepped up to support our community during an exceptionally trying time. One of CSG’s core values states that we are individual in mind and community at heart. Our students lived out this ideal, finding the strength during a time of many unknowns to help lift up those around them.

This spirit of support exemplified by our students was also carried out daily by our faculty, staff, and families. In the face of adversity, we carried each other through a myriad of challenges.

Though the pandemic continues, we are stronger because of what we went through together, and move forward as a more resilient community.