Students and staff will work from home due to SHS serving as polling center
By Olivia Palmer and Afia Amoakohene
SANFORD- On November 3, local High School students have their first remote day since Covid. However, this time students will work on their assignments at home without necessarily joining a virtual call. The expectations will differ for each class, but they will all have an assignment given to them for each class that day. A virtual meeting link will be provided by each teacher for students to use if they have questions on assignments.
Why the remote day?
The implementation of the remote day is due to the voting occurring in the High school’s gymnasium for Maine elections. According to SHS principal Tracy Gibson, “there used to be different voting areas spread out throughout the city. And then when [we moved to] this high school… they put all of the voting [here].” This rationalizes why school will be out of commission for the length of the day by teachers and students alike. She said, “Safety is always [the] top concern for anything, coming to school every day. But… [especially] with the amount of people we anticipate to be on the grounds.”
Additionally, another issue brought to our attention by Gibson was “where are staff going to park, where are students going to park?” With these potential issues for not only voters–but SHS students as well, the superintendent deemed this a good opportunity to exercise the usage of an experimental remote working day.
Moreover, SHS staff want to ensure this will be a safe environment for its students, as S.W.A.T. had to secure the building in the past due to a disruption when Sanford residents came to cast their votes. Gibson wants to ensure student security is the top priority.
What will students do from home?
The turnout for this remote day is intended to help students complete their assignments; these assignments will come digitally and physically for students who don’t have access to an internet connection at their homes. Additionally, Gibson highlights another way students could be using their time. “It also presents a really good opportunity for people to be getting community service hours… it’s still a school day. So if…[they] can look at–what the work has been posted on…[their] Google Classroom, and then it allows students to do something out in the community.” This illustrates that students don’t have to use this remote day just for completing work; it is also a perfect time to catch up on other school-related activities when assignments are done.
Following this, head of school counseling Renee Bresnahan would like to remind Seniors of tasks they could be fulfilling in their free time as well. These are items such as their bragsheet, scholarship applications, Common App, college essays, working on letters of recommendation and anything else that may be incomplete regarding their future plans.
The future of remote learning at SHS
If we find success in this experimental remote working day, there has been discussion of possibly using these if we find that our snow days have been completely used up. Gibson says, “ we have a school committee that decides policies, not on their own… there’s always a group of people that would discuss it. But something like that, even using a remote day, would be a discussion at the superintendent level.” –meaning that adopting this new method may not happen until the future, and various school committee meetings.
Ultimately, the hopes of teachers, counselors, and committee members alike are that students are able to effectively use their remote day. Not only to complete their assignments, but to better themselves, as well as do community service or complete tasks to assist with their future goals. And as the Sanford High School principal shares, “The hope is that it’s still a meaningful school day, and that the work that is given to them by their teachers is a meaningful assignment.”
Leave a Reply