INNISFAIL – With a borrowed quote, David Griffin said success for the potentially chaotic first day back to school amidst the COVID-19 pandemic would require having to see the soul of the kids through their eyes.
“That is how we’re going to communicate with people, through their eyes because that is what we are going to be seeing all the time,” said Griffin, the vice-principal of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School.
“It will be a new kind of feeling, a new thing for us. We are just excited to have the kids back.”
Throughout the anxious morning countdown yesterday (Aug. 31) to reopen the school, last minute preparations were made right up to the 8:24 a.m. first bell when up to 37 teachers and staff members would lead many of the 322 students to class at the pre-kindergarten to Grade 9 institution. School attendance across the Red Deer Catholic Regionals Schools (RDCRS) began on Aug. 31 under a staggered schedule, with regular classes beginning Sept. 9.
“It will be chaotic first thing in the morning. But then it will kind of settle down. It will be good,” he said. “We are ready to go. We have social distancing measures in place. We have six-metre stickers in the hallways, and we have staggered entry and exits of the building.”
With about 15 minutes before the opening bell, school principal Kelly Jacobson led staff through a group prayer inside the gym. There was then additional final calm discussion for this historic first day back to class. And then it was over. The time had come. It was time to open the doors.
St. Marguerite staff led anxious students into the school. Everyone was calm and orderly.
Hundreds of masked students entered their classrooms for their first traditional day of school since March when the pandemic forced a provincewide shut down of all schools.
Griffin said administration began its reopening preparation a couple of weeks earlier and there was an initial “unsure feeling.” However, when the reopening plan was rolled out the excitement began and soon overcame all feelings of notions of any misfortune. Teachers were just “ecstatic” about seeing and connecting with the students once again, said the vice-principal.
“It’s just those relationship pieces that you miss. That’s the fun of teaching, interacting with kids,” said Griffin.
However, not all students came to the school on Aug. 31. About 40 from St Marguerite stayed home to take online schooling this semester.
“It helped us as our biggest class has 20 students in it,” said Griffin.
The RDCRS gave teachers the option to have an online setting, and a temporary online school was created, with about 780 students joining.
“They can come back if they want to,” said Griffin, noting the entire division is following the curriculum in the same order. “If a student here wants to go online in January they can. They won’t miss anything or redo anything. Any students coming back here in January will just carry on.”
Today (Sept. 1), the schools of the Chinook’s Edge School Division reopen, including Innisfail High School, Innisfail Middle School, École John Wilson Elementary School, Penhold Elementary School, Penhold Crossing Secondary School, Jessie Duncan Elementary School and Bowden Grandview School.
