Distance Learning During a Pandemic

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Following the Priory Way During Distance Learning

Priory revolves around its Benedictine identity: the chapel is our center, the Rule of St. Benedict is our compass, and the monks are our guides. This has never been more true than during this trying time of the Covid-19 pandemic. For every decision that we’ve made, we’ve asked ourselves, “How do we serve our core Benedictine traditions?”

By Kathy Gonzalez

Spirituality

Campus Minister Molly Buccola immediately made this visible with her first chapel talk on being hopeful and listening to that “still, small voice” inside ourselves. We also heard from Theology teacher Ryanne DeGood on “Finding Our Way Through Loss.” Students then shared: Bobby Youstra ‘21 realized that this lockdown allowed him to dive deep into his passions, and Libby Lye ‘20 reflected on the value of vulnerability. Teacher and RF CJ Gomez discussed valuing time alone, while also growing one’s community. Seniors Ava Rust, Zoe Verma, and Matthew Covington shared their “Pearls of Wisdom,” with Matthew saying, “Let this time when we feel as though everything has been taken from us serve as a reminder to make the most of the present”; and Grace Beriker sang an original song about growing up and moving on. Though we cannot gather in our beloved pews with the sun glancing onto us, we can still absorb the wisdom from this Priory ritual. To maintain our focus on spirituality, the Theology department continued its Thursday morning prayers, the bulletin opened with a reading, and Ms. Buccola offered drop in Meditation Monday and Thankfulness Thursday sessions. “It’s been a blessing to think of new ways to nurture community and one-on-one connections,” she said. Father Martin reminded us that “While we find ourselves without a personal connection with our cherished friends, we are always in the presence of a God who loves us – no matter what. We are never really alone.”

Hospitality

Closely linked to Benedictine spirituality is its hospitality. Priory students are now spread across the globe, in China, Japan, Mexico, Hungary, Thailand, and more, yet teachers and the Residential Faculty have the goal of making sure students still feel included, welcomed, and valued. Dean of Residential Life Adam Siler says that “We remain committed to being a source of positivity and support in their lives.” Synchronous classes are held in the morning so students in Europe can attend after dinner, and students in Asia watch recorded Zoom sessions. For students who cannot safely return to their home countries, their local guardians have opened their homes. Dormer Andras Pakorzdi actually lived in the monastery for three weeks with his guardian Father Maurus before returning to Hungary. Andras said that he was “living their life. They started calling me their little monk and joked about getting me a black robe!” Priory folks have shown their hospitality in a myriad of ways. Early into the pandemic, Director of Communications Kelly Sargent recruited staff to create a photo collage to “let students know that we are there for them and in this together!” Metals teacher Reed Sullivan delivered tool kits for her 25 students, plus she provided a “lending library” of materials for seniors to make their tiles. “Father Martin and my 6 and 8-year-old help make the kits,” she said, while Dean of Students Micah Morris funded the project. The Senior Task Force mailed home a Priory

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blanket, plushie panther, and lawn sign. “We worked diligently to let the students know that we care deeply about them through this tough time,” explained Yvonne Faisal, Director of Systems and Innovation. The middle school held a movie night and sent lawn signs to its eighth graders. Middle School Head Caitha Ambler said that “with the message ‘We Love Our 8th Graders,’ we are saying we know and love you regardless of proximity.” Priory students, of course, also showed their hospitality. Tri-M club members, led by Remy Fu ‘22, Christina Cheng ‘21, Justine Biscay ‘20, and Sarah Park ‘20, recorded themselves singing, playing instruments, and making art to cheer up senior citizens. Remy wrote, “We wanted to do something to bring joy to many of the seniors who can’t see their loved ones.” And our monks, beacons of Benedictine hospitality, delivered homemade pizza to campus families. All are included!

Community

Hospitality is an integral part of Priory’s community so that everyone feels known and loved, whether we’re on campus together or sheltering in place. Immediately upon school closing, faculty discussed how to encourage a sense of community while teaching via Zoom. To stay connected, students posted on Weebly for their classmates to leave comments, or published their podcasts, Senior Project, or Project

Step-Up for others to enjoy. Folks also offered other ways to gather: yoga meet-ups headed by math teacher Sally Aalfs and seventh grade parent Julie Blenkhorn; open mic night organized by Abigail Milne and English teachers Tess Tran and Amy Payne; and middle school Lunch Bunch hosted Andrew Daniel, David Moseley, Paul Trudelle, Mary Carroll, Sally Aalfs, Lisa Wood, and others. “The kids can be silly with each other (and their teachers) in a less structured way that allows for community to shine through,” noted Caitha Ambler. School Counselor Sandra Kelly offered a hang out space, too. “The drop in aspect is really impactful,” she said, “in that it mimics (as closely as Zoom can) the way things used to be–how kiddos could walk up to my office or Mr. Simon’s, say hi, unload a bit, and then be on their way.” The Priory Tech Department and financial aid office made sure all members of our community had the needed resources. Kailen Song, Priory’s Systems and Database Administrator, commented, “While ensuring teachers had what they needed to be up and running remotely, we also made phone calls to students, coordinated with internet providers and families, and worked to support our international students who needed access from abroad.” While the coronavirus pushed people to distance themselves, Priory folks countered this with ways to bring us back together.

Integrity

Of course, we want to provide an education that meets our standards of integrity: for a top rate education, for student wellness, for work/life balance, for thriving and helping others thrive. Before school closed its doors, our Professional Development team directed teachers to prepare two-week mini-units that provided a meaningful educational experience while allowing teachers and the administration the time to make a long term plan. In that interim, the Distance Learning team, consisting of Yvonne Faisal, Crystal Matsuoka, Michele Riebhoff, and Kailen Song, researched online learning, explored various technology, contacted other schools, and surveyed teachers. “Our main goal was to create a remote learning structure that was missionappropriate, honored our commitment to balance, and blended simplicity and flexibility with academic meaningfulness,” noted Yvonne Faisal.

On March 12, Priory moved to a mix of synchronous and asynchronous classes that provided

online meeting spaces without too many hours of screen time or homework. To make this transition work, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Crystal Matsuoka instituted DL meet-ups for teachers to share best practices around assessments, engagement, equity, feedback, and reflection. “As we were called to adapt, innovate, and in many ways reinvent our teaching practices,” she stated, “we also wanted to stay true to our Benedictine values and identity.” After attending workshops, studying multiple resources, plus listening to people’s needs, Priory also rolled out the “compassionate grading” policy, offered alternative assessments, and cancelled final exams. To bring other voices into consideration, College Counseling and Social Emotional Counseling held parent coffees, Micah Morris hosted senior parent meetings, Yvonne Faisal gathered the seniors weekly, and incoming Head of School Patrick Ruff held Zoom meet-ups for a variety of constituents. Integrity means taking care of everyone’s needs while meeting our mission statement to “assist all students in creating

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meaningful and balanced lives, developing as lifelong learners and stewards, and productively serving a world in need of their gifts.”

Individuality

All these stewards and lifelong learners are unique individuals. Part of the Priory Way has always been, in the words of Head of Upper School Brian Schlaak, to “let your freak flag fly,” a line he included in his graduation address. Early into the shutdown the ASB offered Zoom Madness, with days such as funky sunglasses, silly hats, crazy Zoom backgrounds, and bring your pet or plushie. Lots of costuming also went into the middle school play Murder in the Knife Room, where characters made liberal use of false beards, eye patches, and lots and lots of knives. For a historical first, the play ran on Zoom, with each actor performing from home and a talented tech crew sewing it all together. Middle school teachers went onscreen, too. David Moseley led burpees, and Christine Hemiup wore her Lego sunglasses while discussing coding projects.

In the literary realm, Librarian Diane Lanctot, explained that “The staff of the annual MUSE magazine collaborated virtually to produce a ‘Voyages’ themed issue featuring writers, artists and photographers.” Additionally, teachers were encouraged to create projects where students could choose how to present their learning; in fact, the middle school offered badges for creativity, spirit, PE, a reading club, and later the Spotlight series with such offerings as “Vector and Quill” and “Outside the Box.” Kyle Utsumi’s PSU project allowed eighth graders to follow a local issue, investigate traditional narratives, and take a stand. And of course Priory encouraged families to strut their originality by decorating their cars with balloons and streamers as they lined up drive-in-movie-style for their graduation ceremonies, expressing their pride and congratulations. “Staying in conversation as a community about our successes and challenges helped us to stay anchored in who we are,” noted Crystal Matsuoka. That’s the Priory Way: people of spirituality, hospitality, community, integrity, and individuality, serving each other and the greater world.

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