Specials Adaptations

S P E C I A L S daptations

A bike unit in collaboration with the New Albany police teaches students bike safety.

BY LIESL HUENEMANN, ACADEMIC DEAN

Due to safety protocols during the 2020-2021 school year, specials teachers had to shift the way they provided content and support to students. In a typical year, students leave their classrooms and head to places like the gym, music room, or theater for specials classes, but in order to avoid groups of students gathering together, specials teachers took their lessons to students last year. While there may have been some instances of paint on a classroom floor, specials teachers did an incredible job of adapting!

TECHNOLOGY

Technology teacher Kenny Pargeon supported the school in a variety of ways last year. Not only did he work with students on coding projects, including designing and 3D printing their own bubble wands, he also supported teachers across the building with technology for additional needs due to virtual learning and was a substitute teacher in some classrooms.

MUSIC

Music teacher, Rachel Ammons, got creative as Middle Division and High School students, who were unable to play instruments, studied various genres of music history. During February’s Black History Month, Rachel introduced a unit on jazz, hip hop, and rap music where students created presentations of their favorite musicians. Lower Division students used Chrome Music Lab to make their own beats, rhythms, and songs and also made music with rhythm sticks and BoomWhackers. They even made their own clappers out of recyclable spoons.

ART

While art teacher, Sally Sayre, had to make the art room mobile by rolling all of her materials around on a cart, students were still able to be creative. Art projects focused on pieces that could be completed at student desks with their own materials. Projects included papier mâché animals, accordian books, loom weavings, and the wildly popular sock monkeys, complete with a runway fashion show!

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Charlie Marsden, Marburn’s health and physical education teacher and Joe Nichols, physical education teacher and Athletic Director, focused on outdoor space this year since the gym was unavailable as it was transformed into the lunchroom. Students went on walks, did yoga, and played field hockey, soccer, archery, and ultimate frisbee, while virtual students completed cardio and strength routines at home.

DRAMA

Lower Division students used creativity games to think about characters, costumes, and scenes with drama teacher, Kevin Fish. Middle Division and High School classes focused on stage design and story building, as they were unable to act out pieces due to spacing.