Students in Jenifer Scotts after-school program at Kokomo High School completed a weekly STEM activity which on this particular day involved engineering a spider utilizing only recycled aluminum foil.

Scott, in addition to teaching English at Kokomo High School, serves as the KHS coordinator for Purdue Universitys GEAR UP STEM program. During the school year, Scott met regularly with 43 KHS sophomores for tutoring and STEM enrichment.

Those meetings initially took place at Kokomo High School, but when a pandemic forced school closures across the nation, the meetings moved to a virtual space. Students joined a video conference at 3 p.m. on Mondays for a 30-minute STEM activity. Scott had to be creative with these activities to ensure students had the materials needed for completion.

My biggest takeaway from our at-home STEM activities was that students enjoy using their creativity to demonstrate understanding of concepts, Scott said. I learned that students want to stay connected to their classmates and teachers. While using a computer for that connection is not ideal, it does help.

On Thursday, April 2, during the scheduled spring break for Kokomo Schools, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued a mandate requiring the closure of all school buildings for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. At that time, Kokomo School Corporation officials extended the Continuity of Education phase of the districts comprehensive response plan through the last day of school, Thursday, May 21.

Kokomo School Corporations eLearning/remote learning was conducted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, while classes were canceled on Tuesdays and Fridays.

During this challenging time, I saw only the best in our students, families, teachers, and staff," Kokomo School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald said. "While this was not our preferred way to deliver instruction, our teachers worked tirelessly to create quality lessons and activities to keep our students engaged and learning while at home.

As teachers made the rapid transition to remote learning, they relied on their administrators and each other to adjust lessons and develop new plans.

Greta Faurote teaches AP and IB biology and the Tomorrows Teachers course at Kokomo High School, but she assumed an additional role during remote learning. Faurote, a technology leader at the high school, volunteered to help her colleagues as well.

Every weekday from March 11 through the end of the school year, Faurote helped at least one teacher navigate technology issues. During the first few days of eLearning, Faurote was on her computer working with students and teachers from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Each day after that, though, Faurote spent a little less time coaching her colleagues.

Teachers became more comfortable with remote learning and pushed themselves to do more as the school year progressed, Faurote said.

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Faurote provided lessons on how to use video conferencing technology, so teachers could interact with students face-to-face, and in real time. Some educators sought help to learn the best ways to record lessons. This allowed students to see and hear their teachers explaining concepts, and to watch the lessons as many times as needed.

Lafayette Park International Elementary School preschool teacher Cierra Wisher-Williams said she focused on maintaining as many classroom routines as possible, while continuing to build her relationships with students and parents. The preschool teacher recorded read-alouds, finger plays, and songs the students know and miss. These videos were sent out daily. Students were asked to respond to some of these videos with drawings, photos, videos, or voice recordings. In weekly video conference calls, students experienced show & tell, color scavenger hunts, a GoNoodle dance party, and a guided drawing.

Maple Crest STEM Middle School math teacher Matt York moved eLearning outside for a day. York traveled to students homes and used sidewalk chalk to write math problems on their sidewalks or in their driveways.

Lafayette Park International Elementary School first-grade teacher Victoria Schneck partnered with Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service to provide her students the opportunity to participate in a virtual Chicken Embryology project.

Students in Mary Pages humanities class at Central Middle International School created their own illuminated letters after reading about how manuscripts were crafted during the Middle Ages. Kokomo High School transitions teacher Angela Lovegrove developed special projects for her students with special needs. In social studies, Lovegroves students developed their own COVID-19 time capsules to help them document the details of their life during the pandemic.

During the past several months, educators worked to respond to the emotional needs of students in addition to their academic needs.

Wisher-Williams noted that during building closures her most important goal was to remain a positive presence for her students.

It was important for me to send something to my students daily even on weekends, and even during spring break, she said. It was crucial that my students understood that we were still around, and we still cared even when we couldnt tell them in person. Our students are loved and missed more than they could ever know.

During the first weeks of building closures, Wisher-Williams, Lafayette Park fifth-grade teacher Elizabeth Schuck, and a school social worker made and delivered goody bags for students.

Thanks to a PTA donation, the bags were filled with school supplies, such as crayons, markers, and paper, as well as fun activities. In the last weeks of April, Wisher-Williams also created, and delivered, yard signs to her students and their families.

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Kokomo teachers, students adapt to remote learning | Covid-19 - Kokomo Perspective