Finding normalcy in the unknown: How students, families are coping with school closures

Dave_Berry
Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:29:59 +0000

"It’s a time-honored tradition for both Gunn and Palo Alto high school seniors to tape their college rejection letters to a wall on campus, a public, visible defiance of the high-pressure competition surrounding college admissions.

But with the campuses closed and families across Palo Alto under a shelter-at-home order for three weeks, this and other school activities can no longer take place in person. Instead, they’re moving online.

A Gunn student started an Instagram page for classmates to submit and post college rejection letters. Students have organized study groups and club meetings on Zoom, the video conferencing software. A Gunn senior started a spreadsheet for students to sign up to tutor others virtually, which now covers several subjects, including AP physics and AP calculus BC, as well as non-academic topics (this week, a student live-streamed a cooking lesson: how to make pasta). A group of middle school parents teamed up to have their children work on different educational activities together through Zoom, with lessons led by the parents. A fourth grader at Ohlone Elementary School volunteered to start an online reading group for younger kids to replicate the school’s buddy classes that pair older and younger students." …