Around CPA...

When the school year started, everyone was virtual. But as the pandemic started to get under control, CPA families were given a choice whether to stay at home and learn virtually or to return to school as an in-person student. I choose to be an in-person student. When I first came back to school for in-person learning I noticed that the student population was low. I made the choice to return because I had my own personal obstacles during the pandemic; I lacked motivation, I couldn’t focus, I was tired, and I had anxiety about learning virtually.

CPA has a good support system for those experiencing depression, anxiety, or lack of motivation as they can visit the social worker, counselor, and/or the nurse. CPA wants to make sure they are doing everything they can to support students here at CPA and provide a good quality education whether the student is in-person or remote. For me, I just need to be back at school. But everyone is different. Assistant Principal Mr. Bland says, “There are some students who are doing well virtually, however, we have too many students who are unengaged and doing poorly academically. It is best that students come back to school if they don't have any preexisting health concerns.” Michael Brown also chose to return to school. He said, “It’s easier to get help if you need it and it’s easier to focus without being distracted and bothered.” He said that when he was home learning remotely, he wanted to do everything but his work which is the reason why he began in-person learning. I can definitely relate to this statement personally!

The 2020-2021 school year has been like no other. We all started virtual, then after the first semester, some students stayed virtual, while others went back to the classroom. This blended school presented challenges for both teachers and students alike. In December, families were provided with the option to stay remote and return in-person. Initially, I chose to remain remote. But I quickly learned that virtual wasn’t working for me, so I returned to in-person learning and my grades have improved. I asked my journalism teacher Mrs. Brueck about my switch and she said, “Your understanding and learning of concepts have dramatically improved. When you were virtual I felt the work was confusing and now I feel there’s no more confusion. I’m so glad you’re in-person!” Mr. Iorio says he modified the way he teaches a bit, “I had to get really creative to keep students engaged.” Ms. Barnes says she didn’t have to modify much, but agrees with Mr. Iorio about needing to have a curriculum which is busy and interactive to fully engage the virtual learner. Jayln Miles is another student who made the switch from remote to in-person learning. He says there are benefits and challenges to both, “With remote learning you get to stay in bed and get education and also you get more used to doing computer work instead of paper all the time. But one of the challenges of virtual learning is that work can really pile up and get challenging if you don't do it.” Unfortunately, most CPA students are still doing remote learning. Assistant Principal Mr. Bland said that on average only about 9% of the student population is in the building (in-person), that’s about 35 students out of a population of about 400. Mr. Bland adds that those numbers mean that many students aren’t receiving the benefits of in-person learning.

For the month of December, Natasha Payne (Instructional Coach) decided to spread positivity and giveback to CPA staff members so she created the Random Act Of Kindness program. The activity consists of Motivational Mondays, Tag Tuesdays, Wild Card Wednesdays, Treat on Thursdays, and Freestyle Friday. I spoke with Ms. Payne about her concerns on this activity she stated that she was concerned that someone will not receive a gesture of kindness from someone. Overall she believes that the activity indeed served its purpose with providing joy, a smile, encouragement, also paying it forward. I also spoke with some staff members (Amanda Ruocco, Candace Poindexter) .They both heard about the activity the first week of December when an email was sent out with a calendar of events/activities and directions. Ms. Ruocco says that she personally felt a positive impact from the activity, “I felt appreciated by others and acknowledged. The gift of giving was contagious and made me want to pay it forward.” Ms. Poindexter says the activity allowed her to give from her heart without any expectations for return. She participated several times and believes her recipients felt excited and touched by her simple gesture. She also felt the same and sent out an email with a kind message plus thanking her coworkers. “Everyone deserves a little bit of kindness, and we adults probably need it the most. Thank you for all of the kindness. I've enjoyed the treats and surprises that I've received, and have enjoyed even more paying it forward. I hope these acts remind everyone that a little goes a long way to making someone's day!”