Laurie DiRosa is among the first to arrive at Our Lady of Hope (OLOH) Regional School in Blackwood each school day. A parent volunteer, she checks temperatures with a no-touch scanning thermometer before students get out of their car. Once a student is declared fever-free, DiRosa gives their driver the all-clear to move forward in the drop-off line.
The mother of Noah (fifth grade) and Anthony (seventh grade), DiRosa is happy to play a part in her sons’ return to the classroom. She admits the thought of having them masked all day was troubling at first, but once she saw the school’s detailed plans to reopen she felt “perfectly safe,” and her desire to see her sons back at school outweighed not wanting to see them in masks.
To her great relief, DiRosa finds her sons aren’t bothered by the masks at all. “They forget they have them on,” she said.
Amelia Reagan is equally unfazed. “It’s a lot easier to talk through the mask than I thought,” said the Our Lady of Hope sixth grader. What took getting used to, she says, was the clear shield around her desk, which she happily reports she is no longer banging into.
Seventh grader Rocco Fanini thought he would have a hard time hearing people talk through masks and shields, but he found it hasn’t been a problem. Happy to be back in school, he said he misses some of his friends who are learning remotely. Rocco’s biggest hope is “that by the end of the year we can still have our field trip to Tall Pines.”
Throughout the Diocese of Camden, school leaders report that the once-feared masks are mostly a non-issue, even with the youngest pre-K students. What else have they found, three weeks into the start of a most unusual school year? Drop off is going well, students are settled into new routines, teachers continue to work harder than ever, teaching students learning remotely and in-class at the same time, technology glitches are easing, parents are supportive and helpful, and almost everyone seems happy to be back in school.
DiRosa gives Our Lady of Hope an A+. “[The kids] are safer here than any place else,” she said. “This community has responded well. People want their kids at school.”
Principal Liz Martino is grateful for DiRosa and other parent volunteers who are managing drop-off logistics. She said the process has been smoother than she ever imagined, thanks to cooperative parents and students.
“Everyone has been so supportive. Students are happy to be back and parents are happy they are back. Our [school] parents have been amazing,” said Martino.
With approximately 90 remote learners, representing more than a quarter of all students, Martino is quick to acknowledge the commitment of Our Lady of Hope’s teachers.
“They are settling in to teaching students who are at school and at home [simultaneously],” said Martino, recognizing the added pressure teachers and remote learners face by being apart.
Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Watson agrees.
“For those students who are learning at home, we’re really trying to maximize that sense of being a part of the community as well. … That is a phenomenal testament to the passion of the teachers to do right by their students.”
Watson said he knows there are still challenges as teachers balance the needs of in-class and remote learners as well as technology interruptions, but that school leaders continue to report the process is getting smoother each day.
Martino said she sees a positive change in the way students interact with one another in school. To maintain social distancing, students are placed in smaller groups, which is leading them to engage more with one another. At recess Martino sees them playing coed games of soccer and Red Light, Green Light — not just standing around in large clusters.
“I’ve literally had no discipline problems, none,” she said.
Patti Paulsen, principal at Holy Angels Catholic School in Woodbury just had her first discipline issue, and she admits it made her feel normal. “Wow. This is school. I’m back! I was happy to just have a conversation with [the student] and ask them to get it together,” she said.
Paulsen also complimented teachers for the way they have embraced remote and in-class learning. She was pleased to find remote learners in school uniforms leading the flag salute and prayer during a visit to the third grade.
“The children at home are part of the classroom,” she said.
Wildwood Catholic Academy principal Joe Cray shared a similar experience. “It’s neat to look in a classroom and see four faces on a screen joining in with those in class,” he said. Though about 11% of students are remote, Cray said, “[We had to] reprogram what mornings and afternoons look like so we can socially distance students coming in. … We couldn’t be happier with the progress we’ve made.” Like others, Cray said masks became normalized quickly and have not been a problem. The more surprising challenge has been getting used to one-way staircases.
At Saint Vincent de Paul Regional School in Mays Landing, advancement director Nancy Dixon said a silver lining in the new school year is welcoming new families to the school community. She said several new parents jumped in to help assemble a sea of desk shields that were delayed in shipping and to help with the ongoing morning drop-off routine. She is thrilled to connect with new families at a time when traditional social gatherings are not possible.
Every school in the diocese has welcomed new families, and most schools continue to get calls from prospective families seeking a full-time school experience. In response, schools are balancing the desire to offer a Catholic school education with the responsibility to ensure the health and safety of the entire school community.
“Whether remote or physically present, we want to find a way for all parents who seek a Catholic education for their children the opportunity to enroll in one of our schools.” said Watson.
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