MAGNIFICAT'S PANDEMIC RESPONSE
Education in the Time of COVID-19
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hen students, faculty, and staff left the building the afternoon of March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they thought they would be returning in a few weeks, after spring break. As the weeks went on, and as in-person classes were canceled for the remainder of the school year, all eyes were set on fall. How would we begin the new school year? How would the pandemic change the way we deliver a holistic education to students? What would school look like in the fall?
The pandemic and the guidance around it continues to evolve, so the Magnificat Leadership Team spent the summer creating three scenarios for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year: in-person; hybrid; and online. These learning scenarios were developed with a number of goals in mind, including maximizing the amount of time students spend at school, the ability to seamlessly transition from one learning scenario to another as necessary, and most importantly, continuing to deliver on our Mission of providing students with a holistic education. To that end, the same modified pandemic version of the seven-day rotation schedule that was introduced last school year will be deployed regardless of which learning scenario is necessitated by current COVID-19 data and guidance, which will allow faculty, staff, and students continuity as they navigate a landscape that remains fluid. A team of Magnificat faculty and staff examined the student experience from all angles this summer and put into place new practices that will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. For example, the new HVAC system that was installed in 2019 not only heats and cools but also purifies the air continuously. Students, faculty, and staff will wear facial coverings (with exceptions for documented medical conditions). Spaces across campus are being maximized in order to maintain appropriate social distancing, particularly as it relates to lunch and unscheduled time in a student’s day. Additionally, water fountains will be turned off, and students will be encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles which can be filled at touchless water bottle filling stations throughout the building. Co-curricular activities will continue
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Students have been provided Magnificat-branded face masks, and signage has been posted throughout the building reminding students, faculty, and staff about COVID-19 best practices.
to meet, but those meetings may be conducted virtually based on the size of the group at the discretion of the faculty or staff Moderator. Magnificat Athletics will continue to follow the guidance of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. One of the hallmarks of a Magnificat education is the community we create for students and families. The pandemic has presented us with an opportunity to be creative in how we deliver these time-honored traditions during an unprecedented time. We look forward to sharing with you the ways in which we innovatively cultivate community when physical gathering must be limited as we get into the school year. While the start of the 2020-2021 school year will be as unusual as the end of the last school year, we had the benefit of the summer to evaluate what went well and what could have been improved with online learning last semester as well as to research and develop new practices for in-person learning in the time of COVID-19. The plan for the first semester is grounded in both the public health guidance we receive and continue to follow from the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Health, the Diocese of Cleveland, and Governor DeWine’s office as well as in our Mission of providing a holistic education to our students.
MAGNIFICAT MAGAZINE | A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE AND FRIENDS OF MAGNIFICAT HIGH SCHOOL | SUMMER/FALL 2020
