Aug. 20 - Sept. 2, 2020
bringing the local news home to northwest Guilford County since 1996
IN THIS ISSUE No ORYA football at Town Park, for now.............. 2 ‘We love you, Mr. Sasser’ .................................. 3 Summerfield Town Council meeting ................... 6 Oak Ridge Town Council meeting ....................... 8 New advertiser introductions.............................10 NWO Business & Real Estate ............................13 Your questions about local businesses ..............14 Summit Church blends rural with tech ...............16 Bi-Rite breaks ground for new store ................. 22 Bi-Rite owner David Wrenn, with his wife Kathy at his side, addresses those who gathered Aug. 9 for a groundbreaking at the store’s future location. Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO
NWO Kids’ Korner ......................................27, 29 Community Calendar | Crime/Incident Report ... 28 Obituary ......................................................... 32 Letters to the Editor | Grins and Gripes ............. 32 Classifieds.............35 | Index of Advertisers ... 39
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Coming Sept. 3 inside the Northwest Observer!
www.nwobserver.com
Plunging into ‘the unknown’ The start of the academic year amid the COVID-19 outbreak creates uncertainties and challenges by CHRIS BURRITT NW GUILFORD/GREENSBORO – In a practice run for the start of the school year, eight students at Revolution Academy listened as instructional coach Jaime Gaulden recited rules for the classroom, such as raising their hands for permission to speak. Another rule went without saying: wear a mask. The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred changes in the new school year that would have been hard to imagine just 5 ½ months ago before the virus outbreak forced the closing of schools. This past Monday, Guilford County Schools (GCS) began the fall semester with remote learning, requiring many parents to set up home workspace for their children and oversee their online learning. The postponement of football and other fall sports is just one of the casualties in an academic year turned upside down. “I love being around friends, so I’m really upset,” said Caitlin Ahearn, a senior at Northwest Guilford High School.
“I wish I could experience my senior year like a normal senior would, but with virtual learning I know it’s not going to happen,” she added. For at least nine weeks, GCS is holding classes remotely, with the possibility of students returning to classes later this fall if coronavirus risks moderate. Changes in procedures are going to be “frustrating but inevitable,” Sharon Contreras, the district’s superintendent, told the school board earlier this month. “This is the unknown,” said Stacy Garner, chair of Northwest Guilford High School’s counseling department. Her daughter, Grace, is a 10th grader at the school and her son, David, is a seventh grader at Northwest Guilford Middle School.
“We have to be patient with educators,” Garner said in an interview last week. “It’s a new process for everyone, from administrators to counselors to teachers to parents to students.” Even as public schools in the
Photo by Chris Burritt/NWO
Jones Chavis, a fourth grader at Revolution Academy, recites the Pledge of Allegiance during a trial run for the start of the school year during which students and teachers are required to wear masks. GCS system opted for remote learning, some charter and private schools, including Revolution Academy and Caldwell Academy, are starting the year with in-person instruction.
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