A PANDEMIC APPROACH

OUR RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

A HYBRID APPROACH TO TEACHING

The 2020-21 academic year was unlike anything the Norfolk Collegiate community had experienced. In March 2020, then-Gov. Ralph Northam closed schools in response to a stay-at-home COVID-19 mandate. In the months that followed, Collegiate was able to provide asynchronous and synchronous instruction to complete the 2019-20 school year. However, that summer brought a plethora of questions about what the 2020-21 academic year would look like. Would we be in school or virtual? Would students and faculty be safe? What would lunch look like? Would we have athletics?

Our goal was simple: Bring our students, faculty and staff safely back to campus for a great education in a safe, communityfocused environment.

Guided by protocol from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Virginia Department of Health and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s reopening plans for schools, Collegiate’s administration sought medical, instructional, counseling and sanitization guidance from within and outside our community to guide the reopening process. In August 2020, we proudly opened our campus to students, faculty and staff for what would be an unpredictable year with frequent changes and adaptations. Daily health monitoring, social distancing guidelines, face coverings, frequent hand sanitation and sanitization of desks between classes and throughout the day became the norm for students, faculty and staff.

A HYBRID APPROACH TO LEARNING

We offered lower school families with previously diagnosed medical conditions that could be impacted by COVID an option to opt-in to a virtual learning model. Students would be assigned individual work, Zoom in to class lessons throughout the day and have dedicated time with their teacher. At the end of each trimester, families were able to continue virtual learning or decide to attend in person. For middle and upper school families, students were offered the opportunity to opt-in to a virtual learning model on a quarter by quarter basis. Similar to the lower school model, students would join their classes via Zoom from their homes. Athletics were canceled for the fall season; however, a modified winter athletic season saw a handful of teams begin to compete again. Student-athletes went virtual during their seasons and attended in person once their season was over. The spring saw even more life as more athletics took place with the nicer weather allowing teams to play outdoors.

A HYBRID APPROACH TO FUNDRAISING

While some time-honored traditions were paused for the year, such as Fall Fair and Homecoming, others were reimagined. The Class of 2020 enjoyed an intimate formal dinner in the Harris Courtyard, the Annual Auction went virtual and offered family pizza nights and wine tastings with celebrity chefs and assemblies were class-centric instead of division-wide.

In the end, we learned to adapt daily and created a positive experience for our students and while still being true to our mission.

Lower school parent Greg Mottinger gets his son, Cole ’34, ready for his first day of school. Face coverings, frequent hand washing and sanitization and daily health screenings were part of the daily routine for each Oak this year.

To ensure students were able to maintain physical distance during their classes, the school utilized alternative classroom spaces, such as the King Boardroom, the library and gallery spaces.

Board of Trustees purchase school theme face coverings for each student, faculty and staff member for the 2020-21 school year.