Feature Story: The New Normal

FEATURE STORY

ADAPTING ADAPTING TO THE NEW TO THE NEW NORMAL NORMAL

REMOTE LEARNING KEEPS STUDENTS SAFE AND ENGAGED.

Year after year, Crossroads strives to foster students’ intellectual bravery and emotional resilience. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital need for these strengths of character, which our community demonstrated time and time again.

News of the rapidly spreading coronavirus prompted Crossroads to begin developing an action plan in late February. By March 4, the School had formed an Emergency Response Task Force, led by Head of School Bob Riddle. The task force comprised senior administrators, Nurse Coordinator Paula Rickey, Trustee Ann Colburn and Crossroads parents and physicians Cara and Paul Natterson. On March 11, the School canceled classes for the rest of the week to give teachers time to prepare for remote instruction beginning on March 16.

In the weeks that followed, teachers and technology coordinators met repeatedly to review, implement and assess platforms and processes that could best approximate Crossroads in an online setting. There were some inevitable bumps in the road as we pivoted to a radical new way of teaching and learning. We took those lessons to heart and continued to adapt our approach to best suit the needs of our students and their families.

As noted by Heather Heraeus, parent of two Elementary School students and one Middle Schooler, “This whole experience has been very thoughtful, purposeful and whole-child centered, with an emphasis on sticking true to the social-emotional principles that make Crossroads so magical.” REENVISIONING EARLY EDUCATION

The transition to remote instruction was perhaps most pronounced in the Elementary School, which had previously used technology in only very targeted ways. Forced to rethink this approach upon the campus closure, teachers quickly adapted to the new digital classroom. They provided the learning and fun that are characteristic of the Elementary School, using platforms such as Google Classroom, Zoom and Seesaw.

The third graders, for example, created the School’s first virtual LA Fair. Meeting online in groups, students researched landmarks around the city, from the Venice Canals to the Watts Towers, and created an interactive presentation featuring videos, games and artwork.

Elementary School science teachers Sasha Moore and Andy Putnam created playful lessons that encouraged scientific discovery. In one video, Andy discussed cicadas and Sasha—from a safe distance outside Andy’s window— chimed in with additional facts about the insects while dressed as a cockroach!

By the year’s end, the Elementary School had reimagined community connection in a variety of ways: Administrators and faculty read bedtime stories on Zoom twice a week; Middle Schoolers volunteered to lead daily virtual recesses; and each child received a weekly call from a faculty or staff mentor. In Rose Gatherings, the Moving Up Ceremony and a carpool parade, the Elementary School community demonstrated their creativity, care for and love of one another.

STUDENT-DRIVEN DISCOVERIES

Also using Google Classroom, Zoom and the School’s website to deliver instruction, the Middle

Third grader Mo Oshinksy replicated Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Minecraft as part of a collaborate, interactive LA Fair.

Seventh grader Zack Belzberg worked from home with his highly studious study buddy.

School exhibited kindness and flexibility throughout the spring. Each day, teachers and administrators assessed student well-being, and daily physical education and music meditation prioritized self-care.

The Middle Schoolers excelled in this supportive environment. Sixth graders created a modernized version of Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”; seventh graders critically examined the Bill of Rights; and eighth graders chose complex topics to research and debate via Zoom, ranging from homework to artificial intelligence. During lunch and after school, drop-in sessions enabled students to delve deeper into their interests and chat with faculty and staff. Then, in June, a virtual Moving Up Ceremony highlighted the voice of each eighth grader.

COLLABORATION & INNOVATION

Community and creativity abounded in the Upper School’s combination of synchronous and asynchronous distance learning.

As Dean of Student Life Anthony Locke ’01 noted, “It is essential that we not only take our curriculum online, but also our community online.”

In science classes, students examined how the coronavirus affects the immune system. Film students cast their parents and siblings as actors to produce short films. In Crossroads Advanced Studies English, students created an interactive website to present their final projects—ranging from podcasts and poetry to visual art—on the themes of freedom and incarceration. Music classes used new technology to produce an impressive array of concerts and recitals from their respective homes.

Seniors commemorated their last days at Crossroads in different but meaningful ways. (See story on page 13.) For the first time, Senior Project Presentations welcomed attendees from near and far to the Zoom classroom. A video Dog Day honored seniors’ furry friends. And a three-day virtual Rite of Passage retreat had a profound impact on participants.

Following the retreat, one senior wrote, “Thank you for an amazing experience. I feel so grateful and lucky to have been part of it. ... Many thank-yous for helping me to find some closure and relief.”

PREPARATIONS IN PLACE

For the 2020-21 school year, Crossroads is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment that fosters enriching academics and a close-knit community. Accordingly, the School established four reentry committees made up of administrators, health experts, faculty, staff, parents and students: Health and Safety; Teaching and Learning; Facilities and Logistics; and Community Life.

We know that Crossroads will look very different this year, combining in-person and remote learning. When we are permitted to reopen our campuses, the following protocols will be in place: masks will be required; classrooms will be rearranged to maintain the recommended distance between students; new hand-washing stations will be installed; staggered start times and assigned entry points will be implemented; cohorts of students will spend alternating weeks on campus, all large gatherings will take place virtually; everyone will be required to complete a daily self-screening survey before coming onto campus, and anyone with symptoms consistent with coronavirus will not be permitted; visitor access will be greatly limited; and no facilities will be rented to outside groups.

While much remains uncertain, the School will be nimble and thoughtful in its decision-making. Indeed, intellectual bravery and emotional resilience will be critical to the School’s success in the year ahead, and we are more than ready to meet the challenge.

For the virtual EMMI Senior Recital, Andy Park performed a Beethoven duet with his sister, Claire Park ’19.