Education
Investing In Students New building brings new opportunities for protecting Whitefield Academy’s youngest pupils. By Cory Sekine-Pettite
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n Aug. 17, 2020, the new school year began here in Cobb County under the ire of the worst national health crisis this country has seen since the flu pandemic of 1918. While there has been much public debate and private discourse regarding the merits of opening schools this fall, one thing is for certain: the schools had to be prepared. Above all else, administrators and teachers in every school planned all summer to make the health and safety of students and faculty the number-one priority. Where possible, classrooms have been modified, certain activities are being limited, and CDC and Department of Health guidelines are being followed. Knowing that Whitefield Academy* in Smyrna was debuting a new building for its youngest pupils, we checked in with Lower School Principal Maryellen Berry just as the school year was beginning to find out how Whitefield’s PreK through fourth-grade students are being protected. First, she said, beginning in May, “A group of faculty, staff, and administrators developed plans for several different modes of operation for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. A smaller group of administrators synthesized the content to prepare four potential modes of operation. Parents were informed throughout the summer
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of the various scenarios so that they gained knowledge of the school’s thoughtful preparations. The school provided parents the opportunity to share their feedback and questions as well.” Those modes, which are described in detail on the school’s website, break down as follows: Mode 1 – Traditional, on-campus learning; Mode 2 – On-campus learning with mitigation; Mode 3A & 3 – Hybrid Learning; and Mode 4 – Remote learning. As of press time, Whitefield was operating under Mode 3A, which combines elements from modes 2 and 3 to ensure the safety of students, families, faculty, and staff. Monday through Friday, students in PreK through sixth-grade will learn through in-person, on-campus instruction in small class sizes. Students in seventh- through 12th-grade will learn remotely on
