RESILIENCE AND REINVENTION

St. David's School Courtesy of Courtesy of the Cary Academy community

St. David's School

Ravenscroft Cary Academy

Cary Christian School

nscroft Courtesy of Rave Laura Chalk

Resilience

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BY JANICE LEWINE Reinvention

Triangle private schools transform services during the pandemic—and come out stronger than ever

When COVID-19 raced across the country last year, everything that was familiar to students and teachers abruptly changed. Remote learning, face masks, one-way hallways and daily temperature checks defined the new normal Administrators and teachers, who guide children to embrace challenge, realized their own need to face adversity with resilience. Here’s how the pandemic affected four private institutions in Wake County, and how they emerged even stronger after the crisis.

St. David's School

Courtesy of St. David's School Courtesy of the Cary Academy Community

Cary Academy

Courtesy of Ravenscroft Josh Manning Cary Christian School

Courtesy of R avenscroft

Courtesy of Ravenscroft

Courtesy of St. David's School Ravenscroft Head of School Doreen Kelly says Ravenscroft worked through the COVID-19 crisis with “confident humilit,” adding that Ravenscroft was one of the only independent schools in the area that had an actual pandemic plan, which it shared with other schools. When the virus reached North Carolina in March 2020, Ravenscroft pivoted to virtual learning and refined it over the summer b incorporating Meeting OWL Pro technology for students who chose to learn from home during the 2020–21 school year.

Ravenscroft is “blessed to be on a good-sized campus,” Kelly notes, which contributed to why approximately 70% of the student body felt comfortable enough to attend in-person classes last year. Ravenscroft’s hybrid model enabled those students who preferred to stay home a way to transition easily between on-campus and at-home learning. “Our goal this year is to be a full community and research ways that virtual learning can enhance education in doses, and we’re looking forward to innovating and creating out of that,” Kelly says.

Ravenscroft follows directives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and sets even higher standards for its community. Students, faculty and staff submitted a daily health self-screening, and administrators conducted random temperature spot checks. The school installed enhanced air filtration system and fitted desks with transpaent partitions so students could engage with their peers while remaining physically distant. Visitors were restricted to minimize community spread of the virus.

Kelly says Ravenscroft maintained a healthy campus where no COVID-19 clusters were reported throughout the entire school year, no athletic seasons were missed, and all sporting events and fin arts performances, which were either livestreamed or prerecorded for audiences, took place as planned. Graduating seniors enjoyed a dinner dance in May, a parade on the last day of school, commencement exercises and a baccalaureate service.

Ravenscroft also benefited fom the support of other independent schools. “There is great collegiality among area heads of school,” Kelly says. “While we had to look at this crisis through the lens of our own mission statements and had different approaches in handling the pandemic, we maintained a great spirit of collaboration from the very beginning through weekly Zoom calls and frequent exchanges of information. We were all in this together, and we all came out as winners for the kids.”

ACCOMMODATING EVERYONE’S NEEDS

St. David’s Senior Communications Specialist Mary Dickerson says the pandemic impacted almost every aspect of St. David’s School’s academic and extracurricular programs. “However, except for the accommodations that were required by the mandated precautions to reduce disease spread, our on-campus experience was surprisingly normal,” she says. “Students and faculty returned to classes in August, athletic competitions continued throughout the year, our fine ats students were able to perform for our community through virtual performances, and the rhythm of the school year progressed as usual.”

St. David’s School follows guidelines from the CDC, NCDHHS and the American Academy of Pediatrics; requires physical distancing and frequent handwashing; has increased daily cleaning and disinfecting; has limited visitors on campus; and has implemented a revised traffic flow within buildings. The school h also created temporary outdoor classrooms, modified the dail schedule to create cohorts among students, and allowed for fewer class transitions to diminish virus exposure.

St. David’s School deployed Microsoft Teams technology in March 2020 for students to finish the 2019–20 academic yea remotely. “We continued using that platform for all virtual learning this school year,” Dickerson says. “Not only did it allow us to offer accommodation for families who preferred to learn at home this year, but it also allowed students who may have been in quarantine for exposure or illness to remain connected to their classes and peers,” she says. The technology also enabled St. David’s School to offer parent-teacher conferences, college counseling meetings and PTA programs for parents to stay connected with the school.

“One graduating senior recently expressed his gratitude for St. David’s making his senior year possible,” Dickerson says. “He had witnessed the abrupt disruption for the class of 2020 last year and commented that St. David’s had not just allowed for on-campus classes to proceed, but had also committed to providing a modifie student-life experience that allowed him to compete in athletics as well as participate in traditional, yet modified, events such a homecoming, prom and end-of-the-year events such as the senior trip, field da, baccalaureate service and commencement.”

PRIORITIZING CAMPUS ADJUSTMENTS

Cary Academy Director of Communications Mandy Dailey says to prepare for COVID-19, her school “undertook extensive campus improvements.” This included upfits and adjustments to th school’s HVAC systems, establishing outdoor classroom spaces and technologically-enhanced “Zoom rooms,” and installing additional sanitation stations and signage. “We re-evaluated and retooled nearly every procedure and process—from sanitation practices to dining plans; pedestrian traffic pattens to carpool lines; classroom setups to athletic practices—to ensure safety,” Dailey says.

The pandemic actually helped Cary Academy act on “a host of other forward-thinking ideas” that had long been under consideration as part of the school’s larger strategic plan, including creating a schedule that maximizes student wellness. Cary Academy began the school year in “red mode” (fully virtual) before quickly transitioning to “mixed mode” (virtual classes with limited on-campus activities, particularly on “flex days,” which occured every Wednesday). The school moved to “yellow mode” in April and provided in-person classes four days a week, while preserving its flex da, which students have used to start new clubs, mentor peers, study music, perform community service, improve athletics rankings, take on part-time jobs, pursue research with local universities and, Dailey says, “even learn to sail.”

“We have maintained on-campus masking requirements and social distancing practices, as well as self-reported health screenings, in each mode,” Dailey says. “Transitions between modes were determined by guidance from Governor Cooper and the NCDHHS, discussions with our panel of health advisors … and informed by our own on-campus experiences.”

Throughout the year, students were given the option to remain fully virtual. “Cary Academy has always been an innovative, technology-forward school,” Dailey adds. “As a 1:1 tablet school with a robust technological infrastructure, our community’s technological literacy is high.” This enabled the school’s administrators, teachers and students to seamlessly transition to virtual learning.

“Currently, we plan to return to campus in August under ‘yellow mode,’” Dailey explains. “However, we will be leaning into science, listening to our experts and following community data to help us make decisions as we move forward. We are heartened by the recent approval of a vaccine for [ages] 12-plus and are looking forward to a return to a new normal in the not-so-distant future.”

Courtesy of St. David's School

Courtesy of the Cary Academy community

Courtesy of the Cary Academy community

Mike Waters

Leah Thomsen “COVID-19 required us to be more intentional and more strategic in all of our processes,” says Cary Christian School’s Director of Communications Leah Thomsen. “The pandemic created opportunities to look at the ways we were doing things with new perspectives. We had to update our technology, rethink the structure of our medical staff and sanitizing procedures, and intentionally structure our classrooms by decluttering. We updated our cleaning protocols and cleaned out classrooms to provide more room for social distancing.”

Cary Christian School began offering distance learning for students. “About 5% of our families used it for the whole year,” she notes. “We also made it available to students who were sick or quarantined.” Cameras were installed in each classroom so remote learners could engage in class discussions using Microsoft Teams technology.

“While our parents wished they could participate more on campus, they are so thankful for the opportunities their children had to engage academically, spiritually and socially through classes, the arts, clubs and athletics,” Thomsen says. “We have celebrated our 25th anniversary and understand that this year has been challenging, but there is a deep joy and gratitude for the fact that we have been protected through this year. The staff and faculty are proud of what they have accomplished.”

Thomsen says Cary Christian School will start the 2021–22 school year in “full force” next month. “We are looking at record enrollment and cannot wait to move forward together,” she says.

Learn about additional private school options in the Triangle in our Education Guide, which begins on page 79.

DEMONSTRATED INTEREST BY JAMIE PACK

A NEW ADDITION TO THE COLLEGE APPLICATION CHECKLIST As a college consultant, families often ask me what matters most in college admissions, and if anything has changed in light of the pandemic. Some things have remained consistent—grades and the rigor of a student’s high school curriculum are key. But we are seeing some changes. More colleges have test-optional policies. A strong teacher recommendation is worth its weight in gold. And we’re predicting that something else will play a larger role in college admissions over the next few years— and you may have never heard of it before. It’s called demonstrated interest.

Demonstrated interest is a student showing his or her genuine interest in attending a particular college. The Common Application—which allows students to apply to hundreds of colleges through one platform—makes it easy to add an additional college application (or five) wit a few clicks. With many applicant pools in the tens of thousands, some colleges turn to demonstrated interest to gauge whether they believe a student is likely to enroll if admitted. Not all colleges use demonstrated interest in the admissions process, but more than half of colleges report that they do and rank it among other important factors like essays and recommendations. The steps needed to demonstrate interest also help students learn more about the colleges on their list. So as your student explores which schools are the best fit fo him or her, it’s definitely woth making demonstrated interest part of the search. Here are three ways your student can accomplish this.

1. Attend colleges tours and information

sessions. There truly is no replacement for a campus visit. But because campuses have been closed for so long—and since some campuses are limiting space on tours—open spots are going to fill fast

Be sure to plan ahead. Also, don’t be tempted to forgo official tours to wal around campus yourself, or to be shown around by a family friend. While your family will still experience the campus this way, the college will have no record of your visit, so your student might miss out on an opportunity to show demonstrated interest. If in-person visits aren’t possible, many colleges have increased their virtual options. These are still great ways to connect, especially with colleges that are far from home..

2. Connect with college representatives. An

An admissions counselor is a student’s advocate through the admissions process—and they do more than just evaluate applications. They spend the fall building connections with high schools—either in-person or virtually—so students should attend any school visits, fairs or college nights the school offers.

They should take care to introduce themselves to the admissions counselor and start building that relationship.

Students should also reach out to the admissions office via email or phone wit any questions they have. It’s important that these communications come from the student and not the parent(s). The college application process is all about student ownership, and colleges are looking for a student’s level of demonstrated interest— not Mom or Dad’s! 3. Write thoughtful essays. Any college that asks for a supplemental essay with the prompt “Why this college?” or “Why this major?” is looking for demonstrated interest. Colleges want to know that the students who apply to attend their school have spent time thinking about why they are a good fit for a paticular college, and vice versa. Students should consider that every applicant answers the same prompt, and overused themes emerge—like the college’s location (beach, mountains, city), academic reputation/ranking and athletics. This is why thinking about college fit is so impotant. Your student should consider what college criteria matters most to him or her academically, socially and financiall, and take his or her time to craft personal responses to these important questions.

Jamie Pack is a college planning consultant at Advantage College Planning in Raleigh.

THE COVID AFTERMATH.

Many parents are finding that their children are more anxious and/or depressed since the start of the COVID pandemic. This results in poor focus and difficulty learning. There are many moving pieces to this puzzle. At Carolina Brain Center we are here to help children regain confidence and resume normal activities. We offer a wide variety of natural treatments. Summer is the perfect time for Brain Camp!

CarolinaBrainCenter.com