Clarke Central High School Principal Dr. Swade Huff speaks with ODYSSEY Media Group Staffers at a press conference in April 2019. Huff’s aim during this transition to face-to-face school after being virtual all school year is to continue to provide academic support to all students. “(CCHS is) going to continue to provide students with a learning experience that (the administration) hopeful is memorable in their life and years to come when they share with their family, friends and children if they choose to have a family,” Huff said. “We’re going to continue to reiterate expectations to finish the year strong from an academic standpoint.” Photo by Krista Shumaker
Digital Managing Editor Ireland McCage: Can you describe the phase-in reopening plan and what each of the individual steps are?
Clarke Central High School Principal Dr. Swade Huff: The first phase began on Monday, March 15, and will last through March 26. That included separating kids into four different groups based on (last name) and assigning them an opportunity to come to Clarke Central for in-person learning one day a week. On March 29, that officially begins Phase Two, which will separate our student population into two groups. Each group will attend school two days a week. A through J will go to school on Monday and Tuesday, and the remaining students will go to school on Thursday and Fridays. The second vaccination (for teachers) will take place on March 31. We’re going to have each subgroup attend school one day (that) week with the first group attending Monday, the second group attending Tuesday.
IM: What exactly was the reason we left the Wednesdays March 17 through 31 asynchronous?
SH: We have to deep clean twice a week. We use midweek, that Wednesday and the weekend to prepare for the following week. That was the rationale from our district leaders to make sure that the learning environment is safe and (that) things have been sanitized.
IM: So who officially made the decision to bring us into school?
SH: It was a collective decision based on input from the Department of Public Health, guidance from the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), feedback from district leaders and input from our local leaders. We’ve been meeting since last summer, and we’ve always discussed what a reopening or phase-in plan would look like. But the plans will often change because information about the virus often changed, so the plan was always ongoing. I hope the school community is aware of the work that was taking place behind the scenes. To officially pull the trigger (on coming back in-person), we relied on less than 100 cases per 100,000 and a less than 5% (COVID-19) positivity rate for the school community.
IM: What safety measures have been put into place at Clarke Central?
SH: We have one-way signage where we ask students to travel in the same direction and even in the hallway during transitions, making sure (they) stay six feet apart. After class, teachers spray down (their desks) and students wipe them down before they leave the classroom. We have allowed students to eat outside and eat in hallways. They’re not allowed to eat in the classroom because we want to make sure they’re (not) enclosed in a space where they take the mask off and the virus can spread internally within the classroom. We’re only allowing two (students) per seat on the bus. I guess the major factor in terms of trying to keep everybody safe is to separate students into the four student groups, then put them into the two student groups upon our return from spring break.
IM: Does Clarke Central plan to go entirely virtual again if COVID numbers in Athens start to spike or rise?
SH: That will be a decision that the district leaders will have to make. Those types of decisions are not made at the local level. There’ll be solely upon the decision of the Executive Cabinet, (which) includes Dr. Xernona Thomas, our superintendent.
IM: Can you talk about what would happen if a student who came to school face-to-face later received a positive COVID-19 test? What would happen if a teacher later got a positive test?
SH: Well, we do have a COVID response team that’s made up of Mr. (Reginald) Thomas, Mr. (Barton) Neely, Mr. (Christian) Barner, nurse (Ivetta) Rabb. We would identify that student, (and) isolate the student in the Mell Auditorium, which’s been designated (a) safe location until we are able to transport the kid home. We have a staff member to monitor and wait with the student until the parents are able to pick the student up. In the event that a parent is not able to come to the school to pick the student up, then we will work with transportation to get the student home. Pretty much the same approach (would happen with a teacher). There’s a form though, that teachers have to fill out that go to nurse Rabb, and then she will take the proper steps to contact trace. Any student or faculty or staff member who has been in close contact based on the CDC and DPH guidelines may be forced to quarantine as well. Nurse Rabb will be the person to oversee what health steps are deemed necessary to keep everyone safe. We have a few staff members who are not allowed to report to work (right now) because of either a positive test result or close contact with someone who’s tested positive.
IM: Can you walk me through what a standard day looks like now?
SH: It’s pretty much the same. The only difference that I’ve noticed is just the volume of kids when we’re transitioning between classes. For teachers, they’re having to teach simultaneously, meaning they’re having to support kids who are here in-person and those students who are at home virtually. It’s been a growing experience for all of our teachers and administrators and support personnel, as well. But the typical day is the same. We still have our four lunch periods that we typically have during a traditional time. And the kids are excited. They’re going from point A to point B, getting straight to class. So it’s been refreshing because there’s a level of energy that I’ve missed since last March. It’s been lonely in the building to some degree, and so (it has been nice) just to have an opportunity to see the kids’ smiling faces and support ninth graders or new students who are gracing the halls for the first time at Clarke Central. It’s been a nice experience. It’s been refreshing.
“It’s been lonely in the building to some degree, and so (it has been nice) just to have an opportunity to see the kids’ smiling faces and support ninth graders or new students who are gracing the halls for the first time at Clarke Central.”
— Dr. Swade Huff,
Clarke Central High School Principal
IM: How has this first week gone?
SH: I often tell our faculty staff that I love adults, but I love our students even more, so coming to work each day for the first seven months has been somewhat lonely because there was no energy in the building. But on Monday and Tuesday and (Friday) so far, the presence of our students has definitely been felt, which we’ve all missed during the school year, so I feel like it’s been a success. There’s (been) no issues as far as disrupting the environment, and everybody’s just focused on staying safe and going to class and focusing on teaching and learning.
IM: Was it challenging to enforce all the safety measures?
SH: I don’t think so. The safety measures I feel like we’ve heard since March 13 when we knew we were not returning from Spring Break last year. I think everybody has been abreast (of the safety measures), whether it was through conversation or communication that was sent out by the district or even just in morning announcements that were made each morning this week. I think everybody’s totally aware of the safety steps that are necessary to keep everyone safe and allow us to maintain an in-person format. But, I’ve been positively pleased with the kids and how they’ve responded. I know it’s been a wait-and-see type approach all year because of the unknown, but our faculty has definitely stepped up to the challenge and supported each other. I think the most challenging aspect of an administrator or teacher is just trying to reiterate to our faculty and staff and our students that we’re prepared for this moment and that we’re here to support everyone. Teachers approach their job with a desire to deliver effective instruction at a high level, but to some degree, we are all learning what worked and what didn’t work from a virtual aspect. Using a Zoom platform to connect with our students has been awesome now that I reflect, but it took us a moment to develop a level of comfort that allowed us to exhale. I think now we’re at a point where we can just focus on delivering instruction.
IM: Is there anything that school is planning on changing for upcoming weeks?
SH: No. Consistency is the best approach. Next week when kids come back, everybody except for the group that didn’t have the opportunity to come to school on Thursday (due to a chance of tornados) will have prior knowledge on what expectations are and what the learning environment is like and is going to be like for the rest of the school year. So I think it’s just a matter of just staying the course.
IM: How do you expect it to go once kids are coming in the building two days a week?
SH: I think we’re gonna need more supervision. Teachers standing at the doors, security personnel navigating within the school to make sure kids are socially distanced. We have support from our bus drivers who serve as, “room monitors.” But for the most part, they’ve been assigned to supervise our restrooms because we can’t have more than two occupants in the restroom at any time. And each one of our administrators will take a designated space in the building, whether it’s first, second or third floor, or the gymnasium area, just to make sure kids and adults are adhering to safety guidelines.
IM: Do you have anything else to add?
SH: I just feel like our faculty staff (has) done an exceptional job planning throughout this pandemic. This was a new experience for all of us. The collaboration that took place during pre-planning, (which) lasted through the month of August, was something new. It was a gentle reminder to us all that our teachers virtually can do anything, and that’s a pun intended because we have a banner on the side of one of our gyms that CCHS teachers can virtually do anything. I’m pleased to know that I have an opportunity to work with such a dedicated faculty and staff. They really are the epitome of what I call a family. We don’t always agree, but we make sure that we’re lockstep, shoulder-to-shoulder. We’re carrying out whatever personal obligation that we have in terms of teaching and learning and keeping everyone safe. We have a good number of students who are not performing well because they’re not meeting academic obligations, and it pretty much comes down to fatigue. I think a lot of our students are tired of being on Zoom four days a week, and they’re not turning in assignments as we would like for them to adhere to those deadlines. We can see the finish line, we’ve just got to stay the course. If (students) need support, let us know. If parents need support from teachers or administrators or support personnel, let us know, because that’s the reason why we’re here every day.
A banner on the side of Clarke Central High Shcool states that CCHS teachers can virtually do anything. CCHS Principal Dr. Swade Huff believes that the CCHS staff has really come together as team this school year. “(I have been pleased with) how our faculty staff are responding. They’ve been patient,” Huff said. “I know it’s been a wait-and-see type approach all year because of the unknown, but our faculty has definitely stepped up to the challenge and supported each other.” Photo by Audrey Enghauser
Editor-in-Chief Naomi Hendershot: So in regards to looking forward to the future next year, do you think a similar hybrid model is going to be in place? Or is that still just sort of planning by what happens in between now and then?
SH: That decision has not been made but what I can say is the pandemic has caused us to really shift our way of thinking when it comes to delivering instruction. We always talk about 21st Century learning and incorporating the use of technology. But I think the pandemic pretty much expedited that process and our focus on being 21st Century learners. I’m hopeful that we will continue to offer some form of distance learning for our students who don’t have a desire to be in a traditional learning environment, or who don’t naturally perform well in a traditional setting. If it was up to me, I’m introverted by nature, (so I would) probably stay home through the use of virtual learning. So just giving kids a choice, families a choice, that would definitely be exciting to make sure we meet everybody’s needs in terms of equity.
