When St. Vrain Valley District schools suddenly went online in March, students and parents became concerned about social opportunities.
“I have seen depression and apathy from them over the past few months,” Sarah Longoria told the school board during its Sept. 9 meeting, speaking of her four children. “We are struggling with online learning.”
While the district weighs the return to in-person learning, which will be discussed during a virtual town hall with Boulder County Public Health at 6 p.m. Monday, last week in a news release it highlighted ways students have found creative ways to connect with their peers outside of online classes.
At Mead Middle School, students are connecting via WebEx with physical education teacher Felicia Clifford. The group holds a quick meeting to talk about running goals, routes, time and miles, according to the release. The students then complete their runs and reconvene to share their journeys.
“Students are finding joy in belonging to a group and doing something they love,” Clifford stated in the release.
Students are enjoying the activity so much, they decided to seek out a charity through an app called Charity Miles. The app allows students to “select a charity and donors will make a contribution based on the total miles run,” according to the release.
Another club at Mead Middle School focuses on computer programming challenges. Established before the pandemic shutdown, it first met in computer labs. Now it meets virtually with math and special education teacher Amanda White.
Students are able to connect with peers outside of their scheduled classrooms, which makes the program important, White stated in the release. “Students are able to find that common interest with peers that they may not have known before,” she said.
Club members can view each other’s coding creations and laugh together as they see visuals like a hamburger exploding across the screen or a dog dancing to a song, according to the release.
At Westview Middle School in Longmont, students created the WTV filmmaking club. Under the guidance of math teacher Dave Kline, the club has been working on projects since March.
“Students were able to continue the program remotely because it was their program and they wanted to see it continue,” Kline stated in the release.
Kline received permission to set up the “Socially Distant Film Studio,” so members of the club can film segments of the show using the school’s equipment, which is now housed on a portable cart outside the school, according to the release.
“Through programs like WTV, students are able to maintain that connection and routine,” Kline stated. “It’s easier for students to see this as a temporary setting when they are able to continue established routines, even if it is a remote setting.”
