Educating and Creating Community during a Pandemic

Educating and Creating Community During a Pandemic

Planning for a 2020-2021 school year in a new COVID reality had a single focus: how could we safely bring students, faculty, and staff together? Making in-person learning possible was of the highest priority for Magnificat’s Leadership Team and Board of Directors—and it was a priority that would require ingenuity, perseverance, and patience.

When phase three of the Building Excellence Together campaign got underway during the summer of 2019, no one knew just how important the new HVAC system—which provided air conditioning to the first and second floor classrooms for the first time ever—would turn out to be. Not only does the new HVAC system heat and cool the building more efficiently than the old boilers, it also has an air purification system that cycles through old air and cleans it before recirculating it, a function whose importance became more pronounced when trying to mitigate exposure to a virus that can spread via droplets in the air. Additional changes to the physical spaces in the building included a significant investment in plexiglass barriers to be used in areas where social distancing could not be accommodated, such as smaller classrooms and art studios, the Marian Commons, and the Performing Arts Center lobby. Streaming technology, including smartboards and webcams, were installed in every classroom so that every class, every day is streamed.

Magnificat faculty faced a new challenge this school year, translating their traditional in-person curriculum into a curriculum that could be truncated into a shorter school day and accommodate both students who were learning in person and students who were learning virtually. This would require leaning into Magnificat’s core value of Lifelong Learning. Supported by Associate Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, Mrs. Colleen Greller, Magnificat faculty have delved deeper into the Google Suite for Education, taking advantage of features they hadn’t used before and learning about new tools such as Screencastify, Dualless, Webpaint, Nod, and Poll Everywhere to create an engaging learning experience for students whether they attend in-person or from home. Marine Biology teacher Mrs. Beth McBride ’90 connected students to Zak Slagle, a wildlife biologist from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources who works out of the Office of Coastal Management in Sandusky, Ohio via Zoom. He spoke about what his daily job entails, projects he works on, Lake Erie and its management, as well as the seiche that had formed on

Building Excellence Together Campaign Investments Make In-Person Learning Possible

Magnificat Faculty Model Lifelong Learning for Students

Lake Erie after a period of high winds. Students submitted questions via Google classroom prior to the meeting. After, students reflected on what they had learned, what interested them, and what additional questions they still had after hearing Zak speak. Theology teacher Ms. Kate Minerd ’83 has incorporated "community building" days into her classes. One example of this was an assignment called "Unmasked.” Students used Flipgrid to make introductory videos of themselves without their masks and to share five things about themselves you wouldn’t know by looking at them. Students then responded to each other in an effort to get to know their classmates a little better. AP Literature teacher Mrs. Laura Grecol made some changes in the literature covered in the class due to the shortened school schedule. She used it as an opportunity to take a more in-depth approach of connecting students to the notion of women’s voice and identity. This unit culminated with the students writing their own poems about voice and identity. Each student read her poem to the class and, while she read, her peers wrote down words that were especially meaningful. Together, they built a “Quote Collection” which was posted in the room. Each student wrote down words from one or two of her peers’ poems and worked with a partner to identify powerful words from the literature they have read so far. Faculty members have worked tirelessly to learn new tools and create new ways to deliver a Magnificat education in the most unusual of times. As one parent shared with Ms. Marilyn Arundel ’76, Dean of Faculty and Academics, “Of all the schools in the area, both public and private, Magnificat has, by far, been the bravest and the most determined to actually educate.” That is a testament to the Magnificat faculty and their ability to adapt.

Campus Ministry Team Helps Community Gather Virtually for Prayer and Reflection

Gathering together as a faith community is a foundational element of each Magnificat school year. Since the start of the pandemic, all Masses and prayer services have been pre-recorded so the community can ’gather’ in small Advisory groups or virtually from home to pray, reflect, and worship together at the same time in a safe, sociallydistanced manner.

The Campus Ministry team works closely with student liturgical ministers to plan and film each Mass or prayer service, giving students the opportunity to deepen their practice of Magnificat’s Core Value of Faith-Filled Life. "Having the opportunity to participate in Magnificat’s prayer services is meaningful to me because I get to grow in my faith with my classmates and contribute to the school community in a holy and honorable way,” said Ella Modarelli ’24. Fellow liturgical minister Molly Wilson ’23 spoke to the importance of pre-recording these virtual faith gatherings, “because they offered an opportunity for both in-person and online learners to come together.” Each year, both the Humble Hands Advent Giving Project and the Lenten Project begin with a school-wide prayer service to mark these holy seasons in the liturgical year. “I very much enjoyed helping to plan a prayer service for our Humble Hands Advent Project, which is a central part of the Magnificat community. I shared a reflection about my experience with the BRIDGE service program which gave me a personal connection to the prayer service,” said Gabriella Fernandez ’22, who has been a volunteer with Catholic Charities’ BRIDGE Program featured on pages 14 and 15. These virtual gatherings of faith have been made possible with the filming and editing support of Technical Director Mr. Joe Hnat of the Performing Arts Department, whose time and talent have been integral to maintaining the sacred and reverent nature of Magnificat prayer and worship.

Serving the Community During a Pandemic

In a normal year, Outreach, Magnificat’s service club, would be out in the community, cooking and serving meals at the Domestic Violence Shelter, tutoring students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or visiting the elderly at a number of local nursing homes. COVID forced Outreach moderators Mrs. Mary Clare Oberst ’75 and Ms. Sadie Curtin to reimagine what was possible, especially given the record number of students interested in participating this year. They had to create ways for students to serve from the school building or from home.

To continue to partner with the Domestic Violence Shelter, Outreach is taking advantage of Magnificat’s kitchen, where they prepare and package a “taco Tuesday” meal that Mrs. Oberst then drops off for their clients. One Outreach student, Katie Mooney ’23, came up with an idea that could be inclusive of all interested students, regardless of whether they’re on campus or at home, partnering with O’Neill Healthcare to make cards for residents. Additionally, students found opportunities to serve the school community. A number of students volunteered to sell Malley’s chocolate bars in the Commons to raise money for the Angels in Blue Fund. Other students helped Magnificat’s Seeds of Service Club clean up the beds around campus to ready them for winter. And still others provide a major service to Magnificat’s facilities team each school day by breaking down the tables in the Main Gym, which is used as an additional lunch space to allow for social distancing, so the Athletics department can use the space for practices and games.

Magnificat Athletes and Spectators Adjust to COVID Regulations

Student-athletes not only had to adapt to the changes in the classroom, but they also had to adjust to changes on the field, as well. One of the biggest changes COVID necessitated was that Freshman, JV, and Varsity teams now practice separately instead of together to minimize contact. Additionally, coaches wear masks at all times, and athletes who are not actively engaged are also masked. Team benches and chairs are socially distanced, and the locker room is currently not in use. This year, spectators are limited to two per athlete, and for indoor winter sports, those two spectators have been restricted to parents only. Fortunately, the Athletics department had made investments in technology that allow competitions to be streamed. Outdoor sports are streamed through a service called BoxCast, and events in the Main Gym are recorded through a service called Hudl and streamed via YouTube.

Performing Arts Department Plans Evolve as Situations Change

Engaging Alumnae Virtually

The Performing Arts department continues to find ways for students to be engaged despite the cancellation of the school’s production of Legally Blonde, The Musical. Student groups are producing scripts and building sets for submissions to Magnificat’s first-ever Film Festival, and a spring Cabaret-style show will be held on Friday, April 16, 2021. The Magnificat Dance Team and Magnificat Dance Training Company (MDTC) continue to work toward their spring competition schedule. They will compete as locally as possible, with competition companies that have strict COVID policies in place, including having each dance company compete all its dances at once, then clearing and cleaning the stage before the next group can perform. For Nationals, they will compete virtually, recording their submission in the Performing Arts Center.

Our Advent Retreat for Alumnae and Friends took place virtually this year, with over 30 registered participants from 10 different states who spanned the decades of class years from the 1960s through the 2010s. Reflecting upon the theme, “God With Us: In All Things and All Times,” participants enjoyed time for communal prayer, quiet reflection, and group faith sharing. The experience of community was particularly meaningful, noted Kelly O’Conor ’16. “Seeing so many familiar faces brought me a lot of joy and nostalgia. I loved the wide range of women present—a friend I still keep up with from my own graduating class, a few older girls who were at Mags when I was there, some women that I recognize from the general Cleveland community, and ladies I have never met before! Seeing Sister Helen Jean was wonderful, too.”

Magnificat’s Daily Prayer along with the Circle of Prayer are two additional means of connection that have carried the Magnificat community through this challenging time. Over 5,100 people subscribe to the daily prayer penned by Vice President of Mission Emerita Sr. Helen Jean Novy, HM. Her gift of writing—which she credits to the Holy Spirit—brings the gifts of comfort, hope, and inspiration to our community each day. And, each prayer is unique and has never once been repeated in the many years she has been writing them! Additionally, the Circle of Prayer founded in 2018 has grown to include 351 members, each of whom pray for the intentions of the Magnificat Community every week. Prayer intentions are submitted through the Magnificat website almost daily, and at the beginning of each week the intentions are mailed to members of the Circle. We are very grateful to all who have dedicated their time and prayers to the Circle of Prayer over the last three years. If you are interested in joining, please visit www.magnificaths.org/mission.

STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH DAILY & WEEKLY PRAYER