A lot can be said about change. It’s inevitable. We all go through many cycles of change as we grow and develop throughout our lives.
Like death and taxes, it’s one of the hard realities of life — we may not want it, but it’s coming for us anyway. When COVID-19 swept the globe, schools around the world were forced to dramatically change the way we educated our students. Programs had to be quickly evaluated, priorities had to be determined, and a new plan of action had to be worked out for not only the academic aspects of school, but the social, emotional and logistical ones as well.
When Wells College announced its closure in April, Peachtown Elementary School was forced to again respond to a dramatic and unwelcomed change. Sitting on the outskirts of this beautiful lakeside campus, we have built our program on the location, connections and amenities that Wells provided. The decision to close the college created instability in our location, our support staff, our physical education program, our student population and, in many ways, our sense of connection with the greater community.
We are here because of our deep institutional relationship with Wells College, and the loss of that relationship creates a void that will take time to fill. Alyssa Binns Gunderson The COVID pandemic response was not something any of us care to repeat, but it brought many positive changes that we carry forward today. The disruption forced us to take a closer look at our literacy program and implored us to create stronger systems of support for struggling readers.
All of our students benefit from this shift. We also learned a lot about the importance of cooperative activities in our multi-age environment. After the 6 feet of separation and pod groupings that we created as a response to respiratory infection prevention guidelines, it became clear that the programs and activities that support the social and emotional health of our community are indeed essential; they create a feeling of comfort, which is a foundational need before learning can begin.
With this in mind, we reintroduced many school routines with a renewed intentionality and purpose. As we prepare for a new academic year on this newly desolate campus, without our Wells work study students and the facilities and folks who brightened our weeks during physical education blocks, we are again evaluating and prioritizing what we need and getting creative to figure out how to not only replace, but hopefully, meaningfully improve the experiences of our students. This forced change, with all of its headaches and worries, is an opportunity after all, and one that we are not taking for granted.
Like it or not, change is here; it’s our challenge and responsibility to make the most of it. Peachtown Elementary School will welcome students back on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
We are currently accepting applications for children entering grades prekindergarten through eighth grade. We also have a couple of openings at the Aurora Preschool, a part-time, play-based program that we run for children ages 3 to 5. Alyssa Binns Gunderson is the director at Peachtown Elementary School in Aurora, a multi-age, project-based school for prekindergarten through eighth grade located on the campus of Wells College.
For more information, call (315) 364-8721 or visit peachtownschool.com . Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!.
