It is said that difficult times often bring out the best in people. This is definitely true for members of the Storm King School Community. As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to unfold and disrupt normal life here on the Mountain and across the globe, our students, parents, faculty, and staff have shown incredible flexibility, adaptability, and resilience during these uncertain times. After a week-long hiatus that allowed our teachers and administrators to regroup and move their programs online, Storm King’s virtual learning program began on Monday, March 23. The good news: our students and teachers are smiling at the results so far.

The decision to move to online learning was made during the Spring Break holiday earlier this month. “At that time, the school administration was already monitoring the progression of the virus very closely,” explained Dean of Academics Dr. Tim Lance. “We had many things to consider, but the health and safety of our close-knit community took priority. After the announcement was made, it took us a little over one week to adapt our academic program for full-time online learning, establish contact with all of our students who are all over the world and get everyone up to speed in using the online tools provided. We are still working to perfect things, but our progress is truly impressive.”

How does it work? Using a combination of online platforms including Zoom, Google, and the School’s integrated academic platform Blackbaud, teachers are holding classes at the same times they would conduct them in a classroom on a normal school day. Students from locations across the world are able to join their classes in real time. For those located in different time zones, recordings of their class sessions are posted for their future use, and students have the opportunity to get help from their teachers during virtual office hours. “So far, the dynamic has been very natural and organic,” continued Dr. Lance. “The overwhelming majority of our students have been very proactive and participating actively. Along with the academics, having a schedule and being able to connect again with friends has helped to relieve some of their anxiety around what the future holds, and provide a sense of normalcy.  Relying on the creativity of our faculty, our goal is to continue the momentum and finish the school year in a very good place.”

 

 

After the first classes took place Monday morning, the word about positive experiences began to come in. For example, Mrs. Jacobson, our dance instructor, was very happy to report that her first virtual dance class using the Zoom platform was a great success. All of her students were in attendance and completed their dance routines from six different countries around the world, including Macao, Ukraine, South Korea, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States. “At the start, I was concerned that conducting my class online wouldn’t provide the same experience for my dancers,” explained Mrs. Jacobson. “It was different, but we all adapted quickly and it ended up being a lot of fun. I’m so proud of all my students for “attending” class on time and dancing from home. Now, we’re all looking forward to our next class.” Dr. Lance also reported that his first virtual math classes went exceptionally well with the use of the live shared whiteboard function in Zoom: “Using the live whiteboard, I was able to work through problems and do corrections on the board for the students just as I would in my own classroom,” he commented.

“I’m very proud of how our entire school community has come together to make this happen, and make it successful,” said Head of School Jonathan Lamb. “Kudos to Dr. Lance and our faculty and staff for stepping up to do everything necessary for us to make the switch so quickly and seamlessly, and to our students, who are now located all over the world, for their enthusiasm and active participation. I also want to thank all of our parents and guardians for their support and open communication with us since this all began. Our teachers will continue to look for innovative ways to deliver their class materials online in the coming days. I hope everyone in our community remains safe and healthy and I’m looking forward to popping in on a few classes to see our students’ smiling faces,” continued Mr. Lamb.