A-P schools adjusted with pandemic

PARKERSBURG – With Aplington-Parkersburg's 2021 high school prom now in the rear-view, it can be hard to fathom just how different things were at this time in 2020.

A little more than one year ago, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that schools would be closed for the remainder of the school year as mitigation against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor had closed the schools initially a month prior, in what many expected at the time to be a temporary stoppage. Even then, it resulted in a transition to online learning that middle school health & technology teacher Brenda Schipper likened to "building a parachute on the way down."

But through wise pre-pandemic purchases and a patient transition, the Aplington-Parkersburg school district was able to adjust to online learning through the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, as well as provide 100 percent in-person learning thus far this year.

"I believe one of the biggest challenges for students was to realize e-learning was actually 'school,'" said Nancy Flanigan, A-P tech integrationist and computer science teacher. "Once the novelty wore off and expectations were set to start a new school year, e-learning became a reality and accepted as the 'new normal.'"

One of the bigger advantages that A-P had was 1-to-1 devices for students thanks to PPEL-supported device purchases long before COVID-19 had entered the lexicon.

"That has been the key to making all of this work," said Tamara Tingle, a third-grade teacher at Aplington Elementary. "I think we've all been thankful for those devices to already be in place."

Schipper said the next step was for Aplington-Parkersburg's "tech team" to help teachers and students learn how to use apps that have become staples of COVID-era teaching, including Zoom. These have been valuable resources not just while the schools were closed, but also when the Falcons returned to in-person learning and had to accommodate for students that would go into quarantine.

Kelly Eilderts, technology director at A-P, credited the staff for jumping in head first to learn more about online-learning best practices.

"It's been a large learning curve, but one that our staff, including associates, have worked to try to master at a fast pace," Tingle added. "People have been taking classes, researching the internet, seeking YouTube, reading professional books, and learning each other to make it all work."

And whether it's mobile hotspots for remote-learning students, or headsets for teachers to communicate with those students while simultaneously teaching students in the classroom, A-P's tech team has been on the ball to get the necessary equipment to make it all possible.

And even when challenges arise, the A-P learning community has pushed through.

"The headsets are such a blessing to us, but having several students at home in one ear and the other students in-person in the other has taken some time to figure out," Tingle said. "It's all new for us in the elementary world, but the kids and families have been amazing to work with. The positive attitude from everyone to make this work in the best way possible has made all the difference."