Graduation plans remain under consideration
Kosciusko and Attala County school superintendents are lauding the work of teachers, staff, parents and students who will now be expected to keep the learning process going remotely for the remainder of the school year.
“I am very proud of all the work our staff has done adapting to the change. Teachers have made new plans on the move, done amazing videos, stayed in contact with our students to provide stability and learning opportunities for them,” said Kosciusko Superintendent Billy Ellzey. “ We will continue to do all we can to provide these opportunities for the remainder of the semester and beyond.”
Attala County Superintendent Kyle Hammond said county educators and families have stepped up, as well.
“I’d like to commend all of our staff for working distance learning. This has been new for everybody and we’ve learned a lot,” he said.
Kosciusko School District
According to Ellzey, the Kosciusko School District has continued a variety of distance learning opportunities, even during the recent shelter-in-place order, though distribution of printed packets was temporarily suspended.
Classes have been offered via Google Classroom and Zoom meetings and teachers have utilized other available applications to keep in contact with students and their guardians individually, he said.
Many teachers are posting educational videos online and Ellzey said the counseling department has been working virtually with families for wellness checks, college preparation guidance and providing training in coping skills.
The district has also make available virtual tours of the Kosciusko-Attala Career Tech Center and a variety of colleges, and is planning a virtual signing day for seniors.
Online offerings incoming and current high school students are expected to include a virtual introduction to the high school’s four-by-four block scheduling system and some online course selection for the coming academic year.
“All of our folks have taken on the challenge of providing opportunities for parents to work with their students and keep them mentally well and happy,” said Ellzey.
Some of the more “fun” items offered have included a virtual Easter Egg Hunt, video science experiments and guess readers, and the superitendent said typical materials offered as summer starts, such as summer reading lists, will continue to be available this year despite the shutdown.
As for the 2020 graduates, Ellzey said a committee is currently working through potential ideas some type of commencement effort this year.
Students are already being recognized by signs bearing their names on the high school grounds and possibly elsewhere in town and sports and extracurricular organizations are regonizing graduates on their social media accounts.
As for the actual graduation ceremony possibilities, the committee is working through ideas and will likely make a recommendation next week.
“We’re going to do everything we possibly can to recognize our seniors,” Ellzey said.
Attala County School District
One particular challenge the Attala County School District has faced in offering learning opportunities for families since the schools have been shut down is the lack of broadband internet service for most of the county’s school children.
“One of our challenges is the lack of internet access. We estimate only about 25% of our students have true broadband internet service,” said Superintendent Kyle Hammond. “Most of the computer programs we use require broadband.”
One plus to the timing of the closure, he said, however, is that the bulk of new material had already been taught to students prior to the shutdown.
“In our core subjects, most of curriculum has been taught and we were entering review-mode,” he said.
During this time, teachers have been working to provide individualized instruction to students to help them shore up an weak areas and they have been reaching out to every student or guardian on a weekly basis.
“Teachers have gone above end beyond on contacting every guardian, or with older students, the student directly,” he said. “If contact information wasn’t correct, teachers are finding ways to get in touch with those families.”
For those who do have boradband internet, the district is offering Google Hangout and Zoom meeting sessions, but Hammond says the district realizes that not everyone is able to receive the same resources.
“There is a difference,” he said. “There is not an equity in it. There are going to be some you can’t reach.”
For students without broadband, Hammond said teachers are emailing Khan Academy video classes to students and fresh printed materials should be available next week to cover the rest of the school year.
To help students who may fall behind during this time, whether it be due to lack of direct instruction or lack of access to some resources, Hammond said the district will handle the needs of those students in the same manner as they always do.
“We will target those students. We will have to do some remediation. It’s the same thing we do every day,” he said, though some of the options may now have to include offering summer school or after-school programs in the fall.
Hammond said that school counseling services remain available to families during the shutdown and that parents were notified about how to get in contact should needs arise.
As for 2020 graduates, the district sent out a survey to guage the interest in postponing commencement ceremonies or having a one-by-one commencement ceremony now with those being videotoped and put together afterward to create a complete ceremony for students. Neither option is perfect, the superintendent said, and those recieving the survey are encouraged to offer ideas.
“I feel worse for our seniors than anybody,” Hammond said. “We’ve asked them because we hope they are problem-solvers themselves and have some ideas.”
They are expected to evaluate survey results next week and start making plans.
