Help From a Distance

BY BRIANNA STEPHENS

During the 2020-2021 school year, Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Youth Empowerment Services learned to be as flexible as the school districts they serve to meet the needs of their students. While camp staff normally have a physical presence in the county school districts where CAP provides overnight camp, they found a way to continue supporting these regional rural schools that were impacted by COVID-19.

While school districts transitioned from in-person, hybrid, and remote learning models, five AmeriCorps members and two full-time staff from CAP had a virtual presence in classrooms of all grade levels to continue offering one-on-one and small group tutoring to students who needed extra help. “The constant transition kept us on our toes and required us to be flexible,” said Caitlin Speigle, coordinator at CAP’s Camp Shawnee. “The teachers and students were dealing with so much change, and our goal was to be a steady presence for them when they needed our assistance, regardless of what model of learning they were using.”

Staff and AmeriCorps members from Camp AJ and Camp Shawnee worked together to serve schools in Jackson County, while Camp Shawnee also helped additional schools in Johnson and Floyd Counties. According to Mike O’Brien, coordinator at Camp AJ, the school partnership was five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students in the after-school programs had access to engaging virtual games and recreational activities. A bonus to the virtual help was staff getting more instructional time with students since the virtual classroom setting eliminated time spent traveling to each school.

“Because of our consistency and also the smaller group sizes, the kids have really gotten to know our staff and vice versa,” O’Brien said. “They’re able to joke with each other, talk about their days, and, of course, get their schoolwork done. It was especially fulfilling to work with those kids whose parents decided to keep them virtual only throughout the changes in the mode of instruction — those kids really appreciated the consistent interaction they had with our staff.”

Outside of the classroom, both camps stayed connected with students through hosting regular live events on their social media platforms. Staff, campers, and camp volunteer alumni played trivia, Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy together and interacted in the comments.