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Feature: Greenhill Together - Education in a Pandemic
GREENHILL TOGETHER
Education in a Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic changed every aspect of life at Greenhill. After being remote for five months in 2020, Greenhill reopened for in-person classes two weeks into the 2020-2021 school year. Most students have come to campus every day to learn, while a small group has chosen to stay home and learn virtually. Regardless of location, and in line with the annual theme #GreenhillTogether, the Greenhill community has come together to support each other through the challenges of the pandemic.
While parents and visitors have not been allowed in buildings for a year, Greenhill remains a vibrant, nurturing, and laughter-filled environment. Head of School Lee Hark, reflected, “Each of us has made significant concessions to help ensure the success of our educational enterprise this year. We have sacrificed much of what brings us joy here. And yet, amazing things are happening at Greenhill each day. We are maintaining many of our traditions, like Spirit Week and the fall play, and the electric current that occurs between teacher and student when deep learning is taking place is being generated all across campus and online.”
Even with masks, social distancing, and accessing classes via cameras, learning is still the priority. The students remain curious and engaged, and the teachers are continuing to innovate to make their classes fun and informative. Kindergarten teacher Leslie Whitfield said, “It has been a wonderful opportunity to see the students use new technology and navigate new ways of learning and acquiring information throughout this year. It's exciting to think about how these experiences can be translated into teaching methods that we may use in the future.”
SPRING 2020 Learning and Adjusting
When students left campus for spring break on Thursday, March 12, 2020, they did not realize that Greenhill’s campus would not open again until the beginning of the 20202021 school year. Greenhill administrators had been following the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 since mid-January and had started preparing for the possibility that Greenhill would have to close its campus for a period of time. They defined new procedures, developed a schedule for both faculty and students, and identified technology that would facilitate the transition to remote learning.
Following spring break, Greenhill entered a two-week phase of remote learning, using Microsoft Teams and Zoom for all synchronous meetings – classes, PE, electives, etc. The schedules varied from division to division:
• upper school: synchronous classes for two out of the normal six-day rotation • middle school: synchronous classes for each subject once a week • lower school: one or two synchronous classes, bookended by homeroom
As the pandemic became more widespread and the government continued to update safety recommendations, Greenhill decided to continue remote learning through the end of the school year. Administrators and faculty adjusted schedules and course content based on parent feedback and their own observations during the first two weeks of remote learning. Even now, in the spring of 2021, adjustments are continuing to be made daily to ensure that students are receiving the best education that Greenhill has to offer. Head of Middle School Susan Palmer, said,
SUMMER 2020 Preparing for a New Normal
Once the 2020 school year ended, a small task force convened to reflect on the spring and identify key elements for a successful 2020-2021 school year. The 16-member group, known as the Return to the Hill Task Force, was comprised of representatives from each of Greenhill’s divisions and spent part of the summer researching, analyzing, and drawing conclusions about how to best move forward. The results of the work—including changes to schedules, guidelines for remote learners, and summer professional development opportunities—were shared with faculty.
Teachers were encouraged to use engaging practices that support social-emotional learning while continuing to convey course content. Director of Academics Jason Yaffe explained,
“The model that Greenhill uses gives attention to both academic vigor and the personal care that defines us as a school. It was important to develop trainings and guidelines to ensure that community remained a priority. Students need to be in a good place mentally and physically to retain information; it fell on the teachers to ensure that they were maintaining supportive relationships with their students.”
While the teachers were preparing to teach online and hybrid classes, staff and administrators were identifying critical safety protocols for campus. Using guidance from local and national health organizations, the school implemented processes for daily health screenings and close contact notifications, as well as rearranging classrooms and common areas so that students and teachers could stay safely distanced from each other. See page 26 for additional details on campus adjustments for the 2020-2021 school year.
FALL 2020 Campus Reopens
The fall semester brought students back together in person and online. Greenhill remained in remote learning for the first few weeks of the semester. Following those first weeks, students and families were given the option to remain at home or return to campus.
Each division approached the challenge of having students back on campus differently – for example, the Upper School split students up by the alphabet, allowing the first half of the alphabet on campus for one week and the second half on campus the following week. While Upper and Middle School teachers were able to maintain student engagement in hybrid classrooms (containing both in person and at home students), the Lower School and Preschool discovered that it was more beneficial for our youngest students to be separated into on-campus cohorts and at-home cohorts.
Communication, which was especially important during the fall return to campus, has been critical throughout the pandemic. Even when it was impossible to be together, there was constant dialogue between families and the school. Division heads worked closely with teachers to support students and families. Head of Lower School Michael Simpson explained,
SPRING 2021 Learning in the New Normal
This semester has seen the highest number of students return to campus since the start of the pandemic. The school year started with about a third of Greenhill students opting to remain home and engage in remote learning. As of April 2021, that number had dropped to 9% of students.
Every teacher at Greenhill has taken on extra responsibilities over the last year to help care for their students. Yaffe said,
“Our teachers, who are on the front line because of the nature of their jobs, have had to make choices and sacrifices; they have put the rest of this community before themselves. This selfless behavior has made it possible to continue to provide a high level of education and support to our students.”
Each division has relied heavily on advisories or homerooms throughout the school year. In Preschool and Lower School, each homeroom has become even more tight-knit because they are together all day—for class, lunch, recess, and everything in between. Students in Middle and Upper School eat lunch and attend all student meetings and club meetings from their advisory rooms.
Spotlights
COVID-19 Response Team
During the summer, Greenhill created a COVID-19 Response Team that is responsible for health monitoring, on-campus mitigation (cleaning and disinfecting), contact tracing, and communications. Greenhill’s nurses Katie Trimmer, Celia Cogan, and Haley Mize have been working closely with and under the direct guidance of Dallas County Health and Human Services, following their detailed protocols for symptom screening and requirements for allowing students to return to campus. The efforts of this team to reduce the risk of infection within the Greenhill campus community have been instrumental in keeping our students, faculty, staff, and families healthy and learning.
MEMBERS OF THE COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM INCLUDE:
Katie Trimmer Director of Student Health Services Kendra Grace Associate Head of School/CFO/COO Stephanie Campbell Director of Human Resources Celia Cogan School Nurse Hailey Mize School Nurse Vicki Truitt COVID Response Support/ Director of Summer Programs Mike Wills Director of Facility Operations and Services Kerry Shea Director of Marketing and Communications Jarrett Shine Director of Athletics Matthew Blimline Athletic Trainer Kasey Zibton Athletic Trainer
The facilities staff worked tirelessly to keep our community and campus safe. In preparation for campus reopening, Associate Head of School/CFO/COO Kendra Grace and Director of Facility Operations and Services Mike Wills, walked through every building and began planning for the fall semester. Desks and chairs were moved to create socially distanced classrooms, soft furniture (couches, cushioned chairs) was placed into storage, plexiglass dividers were added to Preschool and Lower School classrooms, common area furniture was adjusted and marked to limit large groups of people from gathering, water fountains were converted to bottle fillers, MERV-13 filers were installed on all HVAC units, classrooms received medical-grade air filters, and more.
Additional cleaning keeps the playgrounds, classrooms, bathrooms, and common areas hygienic. The facilities team has worked closely with each division to reduce the spread of the virus on campus, from cleaning the Preschool playground between each homeroom's allocated time to fixing broken plexiglass dividers.
“Going to school at Greenhill this year has been a challenging but great experience.
The way that Greenhill's faculty and staff have kept us safe while still providing a close to normal environment for this school year is astounding.”
—dylan robinson, 7th grade
EQUITY
A primary concern presented by virtual learning is ensuring that all students have equal access to the materials and tools necessary to participate in class, especially technology. Not every Preschool and Lower School student had a device they could use for virtual classes, so Greenhill made it a priority to ensure that every student was given a school-owned device, whether it was a laptop or iPad. This allows every student to participate in their classes and meetings, even when at home.
Fine Arts supplied every student with individual art kits to eliminate sharing on campus and ensure that remote learners had the correct supplies. Some teachers have even set up practicums for stay-at-home students on Saturday afternoons for students to come to campus and work in the tech shop without being surrounded by other students.
FINE ARTS: THEATER
Once the decision was made to film and stream the fall play in lieu of a live performance, the students decided to research and create a piece of art that tackled the justice system. The result was an original play, titled Race, Fire, Children & Wives, which tells the true stories of exonerations from the points of view of the exonerees, their children, families, friends, prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, and judges.
The play was rehearsed in-person and online, with students sometimes recording themselves performing their blocking at home with the help of family members. It was filmed while observing social distancing protocols with a masked crew, and then edited to create the final production, which was available to stream in December 2020.
The upcoming spring musical, WORKING, will also be filmed and streamed in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. Upper School theater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith said, “Adjusting to COVID has been really complicated with a cast and crew of almost 40 people. However, we chose WORKING because it is comprised of many individual monologues, a few short scenes and 13 songs, most of which can be done as a solo or with one or two backup singers.” The musical will be filmed like a documentary that shows how a theatrical performance is put together in the time of COVID— from audition to rehearsal to performance. “What Greenhill does so well is put the students first and make sure that our commitment to them is first and foremost. Our faculty and administration made a commitment to do the best that we could do, not just enough to get by.
As Fine Arts teachers, we are used to being flexible and open to change.
This experience helped us remember that, even though the circumstances were out of the ordinary, we would be able to adapt and solve any problem that came our way. ”
—terry martin, Head of Fine Arts
—kaavya sampath, 8th grade
ATHLETICS
PE and sports faced a unique problem during COVID-19: How do you keep kids engaged and active online?
Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine explained the mindset coming into the 2020-2021 school year: “We knew we were faced with a lot of challenges, but we knew we would be able to get through them. The goal of our team was to help our students develop grit and determination because if they’re mentally strong, they are more likely to push through any challenges they face.” The coaches collaborated to design activities that would keep kids moving while also following all COVID-19 safety protocols. In turn, the students have stayed engaged; they are excited to have the opportunity to play their favorite sports.
Coach Shine said, “Greenhill is a strong community. Everyone wants what is best for the students, so we have had to make sure that we are balancing COVID safety protocols with the growth of our students. Even if we haven’t been able to have a normal season or championship league, our coaches have done an excellent job innovating to keep our students active and provide opportunities for our sports teams to compete.”
“One of my highlights from this year has been our advisory lunches. It has been a great way to connect with both in-person and online classmates.
We play games online like skribbl.io, which is always entertaining and hilarious. My teachers have been great with understanding the current circumstances and helping me succeed in online school. I am very grateful for my teachers because they have gone above and beyond to help me and other students.” —kate ponnambalam, 7th grade
PRESCHOOL
Preschool’s biggest challenge has giving children the opportunity to be hands-on and explore, touch, and build while still observing COVID safety protocols. Head of Preschool Rhema Stradford-Dai said, “Once the COVID safety rules had been set and put in place, our team was challenged to think differently about how to do early childhood education appropriately without being able to allow our students to share with each other. Our teachers made COVID restrictions fun. It is great to walk through the Preschool and still hear so much laughter and see the love and strong connections that continue to exist between teachers and their students.”
—emerson sebold, 6th grade
ADIRONDACK CHAIRS
One of the most noticeable changes on campus has been the addition of Adirondack chairs in outdoor areas. Existing outdoor furniture, including the round green tables and picnic tables, have close seating, allowing only a few people to occupy them at a time because of social distancing. The Adirondack chairs have let students sit together to eat lunch or spend time together while still being safe and distanced. Ms. Palmer said, “When the Adirondack chairs came after Thanksgiving, they brought so much joy to the campus! Students now have a place to be together and enjoy the good weather outside with their friends.”
“Our teachers have incredibly high standards for themselves; they feel a deep loyalty and commitment to the community.
They have exhibited such a high level of internal fortitude and have worked so hard. Our students are also amazingly resilient.
This experience has been hard on everyone, but we’ve kept the sense of community strong by continuing to support each other through these difficult times.”
