A relaxed summer school option is one of the ways Greenbrier County Schools hopes to combat the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning.
Short for the Summer Opportunities For Learning and Enrichment, the SOLE program looks to get kids out of remote learning mode and focus on being in a classroom and present.
“They were a little bit disconnected from COVID. We want them to come back to school and feel enriched and a place to belong and establish that relationship with at least one caring adult,” said Associate Superintendent Nancy Hanna. “That’s really what makes a difference in a kid’s life. Plus a little bit of reading and math. If you don’t do that first part, it doesn’t matter what you do for reading and math, it won’t happen. If you don’t take care of the social and emotional and the feeling and the connection and the sense of belonging.”
As COVID-19 cases increased in fall 2020, many of the schools had to shut down, sending all of their students to remote learning. During the school improvement presentations in March, several principals came with a mixture of disappointment with the remote learning results and hope for the immediate in-person return to class. As shutdowns happened, their effects were visible in grades from the first nine weeks to the second, with many of the schools seeing massively decreased testing scores.
“If you listen to what all is going on in the last two LSIC presentations, you know our schools are doing good things,” said Board President Jeanie Wyatt in March. “You know they’re doing well, considering what all we’ve gone through, and in-and-out, all the changes that have been made, they’ve adapted well. … Yes, the scores aren’t perfect, but they shouldn’t be. They’re all trying, making improvements, that’s all we can ask of them.”
The SOLE program was created quickly by the Greenbrier County school system in order to combat these negative results, primarily by getting students in-person with a teacher and working with other organizations, such as Communities in Schools and Energy Express of the WVU Extension office.
“It’s funded by a grant we received from the state department of education,” said Hanna. “We had to throw it together pretty quickly, it came together. I could be happier with the way it’s turned out. Just as a blessing, the most wonderful staff members applied to teach it. … We let the staff members come up with it and I couldn’t believe how different it is everywhere, but it’s going really well. We’ve focused a lot on being a friend, how to make friends, … and emphasizing to the kids that this is your school. … We’re [also] focusing on mindfulness, yoga, how to regulate yourself, and doing No Place For Hate, which is all about acceptance and diversity.”
Krista Williams, a counselor with Rupert and one of the many members of staff making the program work, agreed, explaining the program was not designed to be intensive summer school only to catch kids up academically for the next year.
“In the beginning, we were focusing on math and English, if they had fallen behind during the school year and trying to get them to the level that they’re going into next year,” said Williams. “But most of the focus is social interaction because they just don’t have it. … It gives them somewhere safe to go in the summer, they still get an education and are learning things, but it’s a fun environment. They’re doing a lot of cool things — they did a Three Little Pigs production last week. They did a play, it’s so fun for them.”
During a tour of Rupert Elementary, a number of kids mentioned what they like about the program and what they had been doing that day:
“Playing with slime! We finished our drawing of Rupert.”
“Playing with our friends at recess!”
“I’m working through division tables.”
“I thought there would be homework but there’s not!”
“We get to paint our feet!”
“We’re making lava lamps!”
“We made s’mores too! Then we ate ‘em. And someone threw up on the bus.”
A group of students practice their yoga skills. |
Williams noticed the program having an effect on the kids.
“We have quite a few kids from the Smoot area,” said Williams. “The ones that are from Rupert, I’ve noticed a change in their attitude when they come here. They’ve really started to come out of their shell — they were a little reserved when we started because there are new students they’re not familiar with. … They really, truly needed it. Most of them are second- or third-grade students. … They’ve come a long way, not only education-wise. Most of them are wide open now.”
With luck, the same improvements can be found for each of the students enrolled.
“We have had really good numbers,” Hanna said. “At the high school level, we’ve had over 100. At the middle school level, we’ve had close to 100. We’re doing it at six elementary schools and I want to say there’s about 60 kids at each elementary. The only grade level we couldn’t include this year was pre-K. We had a lot of pre-K applicants but we couldn’t get quite enough staff. …
Some of the elementary schools have consolidated programs into one due to staffing constraints; Hanna explained that “Crichton and Rainelle [students] are at Rainelle, Rupert and Smoot are at Rupert, Lewisburg and Ronceverte are at Ronceverte. Alderson, Frankford, and White Sulphur each have their own. The middle schools have their own, and the high schools as well.”
Funding also went towards playground updates — at Rupert Elementary, a single jungle gym was joined by two new play structures, a shade cover, a sand play station, and a tricycle race track.
“[There were also grants so] we can upgrade and update all of this and also make some outdoor class spaces,” Hanna said. “Each school got $50,000, including the secondary schools, to make improvements. Even at the high schools and middle schools, they’re going to have some shade structures, tables, outdoor learning. There’s something about being outside that helps you socially and emotionally. It’s like a little boost to them.”
The tricycle race track at Rupert Elementary is one of the new improvements the funds allowed. |
Although the program came to an end on Thursday, Hanna expects the program to continue into the next summer. A review session with the teachers is planned, compiling everything they learned into the program. Enrollment forms for next summer are expected to go home with students sometime in the spring of 2022.
“A form will come home in the spring,” Hanna said. “If they have any questions, they can call me [at 304-647-6470]. Any staff that wants to apply, just look for job postings in the spring.”
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