HIGH SCHOOL
House of Warriors: We’re All In This Together
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By Heather Bennett, Communications
Like an opening tip off, J-Term jump started the spring semester with high energy endeavors. High school arts, academics, and athletics were going strong as the basketball Homecoming theme was set as Disney’s “High School Musical”. Less than a month after senior Marisa Kuhn was crowned queen, the movie’s hit song “We’re All In This Together” seemed to be more than a spirited halftime dance, but also a deeply felt mantra for our school, our community, and our world. Monitor and adjust is a common phrase in education that rings true for LRCA as faculty and leadership work to continually observe the state of things and seek proactive ways to adapt successfully. The world situation in early spring called for swift but meaningful adjustments. Dr. Justin Smith, Head of Upper School, explains, “We worked together to maintain excellence through innovation and resilience.” Jennifer Byrd, BSE, MA, teaches AP English Language and Composition, and concurrent college credit Comp I and II. She shares in her own words how academic rigor as well as relationships were maintained and flourished during AMI.
10 THE WARRIOR • SPRING 2020
HB: How did you approach AMI with academic excellence in mind? JB I wanted to keep up the rigor of my courses as much as possible JB: while also figuring out different ways to connect with my students and meet their needs. Each of my courses has a specific end goal. For example, my AP Language students still needed to be ready for the AP exam in May. It helped for me to focus on this end goal as much as possible. HB: In what ways did you continue to challenge students? JB My students were still required to produce the same end goal work, JB: but I tried to eliminate anything that wasn't specifically connected to this outcome. For example, since my AP Language students would only be required to write one essay for their exam instead of three, I focused mostly on preparing them for that essay. My Comp II students needed to produce a novel analysis research paper, so we focused on refining the skills needed for that paper. HB: What philosophical changes did you have to make? JB I had to rethink the way I connect with students so that I could help JB: them. For example, I usually have one-on-one writing conferences with each of my Comp students as they're refining their research papers. I had to come up with a new way to accomplish this. I set
