More Than A Mask: A Successful Year at Tatnall Despite COVID Restrictions

MORE THAN A MASK

PK4 students examine a tadpole at the pond in the EC Certified Wildlife Habitat.

A SUCCESSFUL YEAR AT TATNALL

Despite COVID Restrictions

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the challenges of mask requirements, social distancing and safety precautions proved no match for The Tatnall School. Thanks to some out-of-thebox thinking, a tremendous amount of planning, and the dedication of the administration, faculty, staff, parents and students, Tatnall was able to provide an exceptional year of learning under extraordinary circumstances.

The 110-acre Tatnall campus and surrounding habitats became both classroom and lunchroom for students throughout the year. Early Childhood took advantage of its newly awarded Outdoor Classroom certification to offer developmentally appropriate, safe outside learning opportunities for its students. The reimagined “I Love to Read Month” curriculum brought new experiences for Lower School students who also found creative new ways to play. And a varied schedule allowed Tatnall to provide a full-year of in-person learning for Middle and Upper School students.

Early Childhood Receives 1st Outdoor Classroom Certification in New Castle County Outdoor learning and play are integral parts of Early Childhood at The Tatnall School. In 2003 the Early Childhood Habitat was certified by the National Wildlife Federation and in April 2021, Tatnall’s Early Childhood Outdoor Classroom received certification from the Nature Explore program – the first of its kind to be certified in New Castle County and only the second in the state!

“EC Science Teacher Amanda Peltz attended the Nature Explore professional development in the summer of 2019. We started the certification process shortly thereafter, in hopes of meeting the requirements by the following spring. Then COVID hit and our plans were halted,” says Aimee Neff, Head of Early Childhood. “Once we returned to campus, we took up where we left off and were thrilled to receive certification this year.”

Outdoor classrooms offer interactive spaces where children can use their creativity, imagination and problem-solving skills in an unconstrained environment, helping them develop skills across a broad spectrum of areas. Various equipment, materials and signage criteria must be met to be recognized as a Certified Nature Explore Classroom.

“Our outdoor space was outstanding to begin with, so we started by identifying areas of our existing space that could be modified to meet requirements for certification,” shares Neff. “Extending our classrooms to these outdoor spaces is simply amazing. Children benefit immensely from spending extended periods of time outside. They’re not only learning about nature, but also learning math, writing, science, and art through natural pieces of the world. They build gross and fine motor skills, and it encourages critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration.”

Tatnall’s outdoor classrooms include an art studio, melody meadow, climbing area and mud kitchen. While Early Childhood students have always spent a good part of their day outside, the outdoor classrooms were a silver-lining during COVID.

“Our kids were outside at least three times every day in almost every weather condition,” continues Neff. “They actually spent more hours outside than inside this past year.”

“Early on in the year, when COVID regulations were the most restrictive, our students weren’t allowed to play on the

climbing apparatus outside or share common outdoor toys,” Neff continues. “What we saw was children using creativity and collaboration to create magical, imaginative structures from natural elements like sticks and leaves. Every child had a role to play, and it was amazing to see them improvising this way. Students were also able to enjoy mask breaks during their time outside.”

Providing a safe, successful, in-person year of learning for Early Childhood students was a priority for Neff and her team. Their goal was to have kids in-person, rather than on Zoom.

“It was challenging and more stressful, but I was bound and determined to figure out how to make the year a success for our families and faculty,” says Neff.

After months of planning, communication with the department of public health and input from Tatnall administration, Neff and her dedicated staff were able to create safety protocols and processes that met state guidelines and gave students an exceptional learning environment. There were a number of layers to the process including student cohorts assigned different outdoor areas at different times and frequent cleaning of toys.

“We were lucky to have so much of the outdoor classroom planning already done,” says Neff. “It wasn’t a big change for us to teach outside, we just upped the ante a bit. We’re also lucky to have support from our parents and school administration. Thanks to all the planning and support, everybody stayed healthy, and our students had an amazing year.”

As COVID restrictions were loosened, Early Childhood students were able to access more of the outdoor classroom resources. Neff says it’s going to be even better next year when more students can interact in the space.

“We hope to have all three grade levels outside at the same time this fall,” explains Neff. “When that happens, the collaboration, interaction, sharing… it’s really going to grow.”

Tatnall Lower School Creativity Shines Outside Recess looked a bit different for Tatnall’s Lower School this year. Students spent more time outside with limited use of equipment due to COVID guidelines, but that didn’t stop students from making the most of the opportunity.

“We found students exploring 3 differently this year,” says Head of Lower School Michele Ciconte. “Kids were collaborating, building forts and obstacles, looking for frogs and birdwatching… it was very organic. The kids came up with these ideas, problem-solved and worked in unison. It was inspiring to watch.”

Groups of Lower School students were assigned different outdoor areas to use each week. The rotating schedule allowed each group to use each space at varying times throughout the year.

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1. From Left to Right: Steve Marvin ‘88, Aimee Neff, Amanda Peltz, and Andy Martire cut the ribbon on the certified EC Outdoor Classrooms.

2. Fourth graders celebrate around a student designed and built Frisbee golf hole. 3. Third graders created art from nature with found objects in the style of artist and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy.

“Students changed activities depending on the outdoor area they were assigned,” explains Heather Brooks, Lower School Librarian/Technology Teacher/STEM Coordinator. “They played hide-and-seek in the area with a lot of large bushes, they played stick tag and explored the creek in the woods, and older students used sticks and the side of a brick building for whittling. Students also played a lot of games that they made up. They were happy in a very joyful way.”

“We know the benefits for physical and social development as well as overall well-being that comes from children spending time outdoors,” adds Ciconte. “Outdoor activities this year were driven by students’ interests and curiosity. One group

We know the benefits for physical and social development as well as overall well-being that comes from children spending time outdoors. Outdoor activities this year were driven by students’ interests and curiosity.

—Michele Ciconte, Head of Lower School

loved building forts and hideaways; another group spent time checking up on the frogs every day. This year, time outside also allowed for mask breaks and outdoor lunch sessions when it wasn’t raining.”

COVID restrictions also shaped the Lower School “I Love to Read Month” program. Brooks chose a superhero theme and designed eight reading challenges culminating in a disc golf event if all classes completed their tasks.

“There were independent, partner and group challenges,” says Brooks. “Some were as simple as reading with a partner for 15 minutes, others included physical activities like running around the house three times or creating something out of household objects. All classes completed the challenges in February, so we set out to involve them in creating the disc golf event in May.” Few students had ever heard of disc golf, so the first step was teaching them the game. Next, each class was tasked with designing an obstacle for the course. Students presented their ideas and voted to determine which ones would be used. Once designs were selected, classes built their obstacles which were placed around the campus the day of the event.

“Building obstacles became a woodworking event for many of the classes,” says Brooks. “They used power saws, sanders, hammers, nails, and paint to bring their designs to life. They also used STEM skills like math, measurement, and engineering.”

“No two classes had the same theme, and all students were involved in building the designs,” she continues. “One class had a coronavirus-themed obstacle with the disc passing through the middle like a vaccine, another class created an open-mouthed shark for their beach theme, and yet another used the Tatnall ‘T’ on a piece of paper and players had to knock the homework out for summer.”

Students prepared for the event by practicing during gym class.

“We purchased individual Frisbees for each student,” says Ciconte. “Having them practice outside with their own Frisbees worked well from a safety perspective.”

Capes and eye masks, worn by the kids during the event, helped add to the superhero theme.

“We’re very proud of the students for completing the reading challenges,” says Brooks. “And the disc golf event was a wonderful way to reward their hard work.”

“The students took the challenge and made it their own,” says Ciconte. “It had a life of its own and they took it further than we imagined.”

Brooks shares that in the future, she’s hoping to get a permanent course on campus, create a disc golf club and even have alumni return to play.

Schedule Changes Allow In-Person Learning for Middle and Upper School Students Creating and maintaining safe COVID protocols for Middle and Upper School students presented a unique challenge for Tatnall staff.

“There is a lot more mixing of students in grades 6-12,” says Bill Schluter, Head of Upper School. “Students in each grade can’t be kept together all day because they’re in different levels for math and take different world languages. Not to mention all Upper School students normally eat lunch at the same time, while all Middle School students come together for a separate lunch period.”

To mitigate exposure and reduce hallway interaction among its older students, Tatnall administration devised a multifaceted plan.

“We wanted to reduce the number of times students were mixing throughout the day, especially when travelling the hallways to change classes,” says Mathematics Teacher and Scheduling Coordinator Scott Marshall.

“We started by splitting students into two groups based on our mascots, the Daisies and the Hornets,” adds Schluter. “Many of our hallways were designated one-way. We allowed more time to pass between classes and had a five-minute interval between dismissal of each group.”

In addition to minimizing contact in hallways, class periods were lengthened.

“Our normal schedule is eight, 50-minute classes each day,” says Schluter. “This year we extended class time to 70 minutes and worked with a two-day alternating schedule where students had four periods one day and the other four periods the next.”

“Keeping classes together for a longer period of time helped minimize interactions and made it easier for contact tracing,” says Marshall. “We knew exactly where the kids were and who they were with at all times.”

“With longer class times, teachers had to be creative with lessons and break things up, so students weren’t forced to be on-task for 70 minutes straight,” explains Schluter.

“The science department loved the longer class periods,” adds Marshall. “It allowed for a lot more lab time.”

Lunch posed another challenge.

“We began the year with students having lunch in their advisory groups,” says Schluter. “We stuck to this system during the fall, but as the year progressed, we became more confident in our practices and were able to adjust by having larger groups together for lunch outside.”

“Kids were also asking for more interaction by that time,” Schluter adds. “Friends didn’t always have the same advisory groups or classes, so we had to get creative with ways to bring different groups of kids together during lunch.”

Though Middle and Upper School began the year using a hybrid schedule, Tatnall was able to offer full-time in-person learning (with a virtual option) to all of its students in grades 6-12 by fall 2020.

“When it started in September, we weren’t even sure we were going to make it a week,” says Schluter. “Looking back, we’re proud to say we completed a very successful school year. The students, faculty and parents were all very flexible which helped.”

“The kids were wonderful, they really rolled with the punches,” adds Marshall. “Whenever we made adjustments, they went right along and made it work.”

“We will probably keep the same basic schedule structure,” says Marshall. “Longer periods allowed for deeper learning across subjects.”

“We’re not sure exactly how long classes will be or how much passing time there will be between classes,” adds Schluter. “And lunch is a huge variable. We’re hoping to get back to our old lunch routines in the cafeteria. That would be great for all of us socially and mentally.”

And while Zoom offers some benefits, especially efficiency for faculty meetings, Schluter recognizes it’s not the optimal way to teach.

“While we may offer a virtual component, we will strongly encourage students to be on campus for in-person learning,” says Schluter. “We look forward to having students here not only for academics, but also sports, theater, and clubs. Those activities really drive a school year, and we can’t wait to have the Tatnall community together again.”

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1. Sam Salazar leading a class outside for Upper School Art.

2. Tijen Pyle teaches chemistry class to both in person and virtual students. 3. Upper School student completing classwork. 4. Middle School students practiced their instruments outdoors.

5. Upper School students take a mask break outside in Mac’s Garden.

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