Wrenshall News: Wrenshall getting through change in education

Some of the funniest memes I’ve seen lately have revolved around parents having to share in their children’s day-to-day education and learning. Nobody seems to be questioning the summer break that teachers take to plan and revise curriculum now that the classroom experience is taking place inside the home.

This is Week 2 of online learning for Wrenshall schools and I reached out to Superintendent Kim Belcastro to hear how the transition is going.

“You have to learn and adapt in these situations,” Belcastro said. She is proud of how the district was able to distribute 155 Chromebooks, 160 breakfasts and lunches as well as implementing a network of 75 internet hotspots, but she recognized that it all is a work in progress.

“I think we’ve done fairly well with the transition but we’ve had to listen to feedback and modify things,” she said, adding that the elementary schedule was adjusted this week to lighten the curriculum for students and parents who were feeling too much pressure and added stress from the workload.

While she recognizes the move to virtual learning in such a short time period was a challenge and is not ideal woth respect to student equity, Belcastro was positive about the strength of the school.

“We had trained teachers in this fall with Google classrooms and our new Chromebooks, so we had many teachers using them already before the transition,” she said. “We’re going to have teachers that have a whole new set of skills when we come back to the physical learning setting.”

As a parent I’ve also acquired new skills that I plan to take with me. I now have the best “Play-Doh” recipe around and a few new songs that my family can share.

Teachers have developed some innovative activities to connect with students. Nichole Rowland’s second-grade class even took a virtual field trip to the San Diego Zoo.

Belcastro also pointed out the importance of what were once considered “specialty” classes — such as art, music, and physical education — which seem to be of even more importance in these times of uncertainty and stress. “We added a daily phy-ed requirement in recognition of the mental health pressure we are all facing right now,” she said.

The conversation ended on a really positive note with Belcastro sharing exciting news that she had just learned that afternoon. Three of Wrenshall’s graduating seniors — Isaiah Johnson, Randy Wimmer and Wyatt Kelley — have all been accepted into the Carpenters Training Institute in Hermantown.

It is comforting to look toward building the future, literally.

If you want to share Wrenshall-specific story ideas — let Annie know. Call 218-310-4703 or email [email protected].