To say this has been an unusual end of summer and start to the school year is undoubtedly an understatement. Parents have been confronted with a continuous barrage of challenges, facing them head-on. Throughout Haywood County, homes have become offices and classrooms, as well as places of worship, while many jobs, schools and churches moved to a primarily digital platform. Despite the difficult circumstances, parents and students have risen to the occasion and continue to excel.
We could not be more excited about being able to offer in-person instruction this fall. From an article in The Mountaineer:
"Head of School Kelli Herbert said because of the school's small and intimate class sizes — and because of the 400-seat capacity auditorium, it will be much easier for HCA to meet current restrictions for reopening than perhaps other schools."
This has been one of the most challenging school years most parents can remember. There is not a time in recent history students have simply been unable to return to campus for almost a semester. Parents have scrambled to work out the kinks of remote learning while also dealing with their own work-from-home situations. Haywood County bandwidth has been stretched to the limit in many homes as everyone seemed to shift their education and employment to digital spaces. We have all become proficient with video conferencing in the last few months; however, many parents are ready to put that behind them.
Summer is finally here. This past school year has been tough, and you are wanting to take a little break and enjoy some fun times in the sun. Some things are starting to open up to allow some activities and there is a strong encouragement to enjoy the great outdoors. While you may be hiking familiar trails or camping with the family, don’t forget to continue to learn.
It has certainly been an unusual school year at Haywood Christian academy and throughout the nation. Typically, at this point in the school year, students are looking forward to summer break. There is so much to do in our area, from hiking and exploring area swimming holes, to mountain biking and camping, in addition to hanging out with friends and participating in church and sports camps. As we have turned to non-traditional means of education at our school, the end of the semester is not going to bring the same amount of fanfare as usual. We do not yet know whether summer will bring the usual sense of freedom for high school students.
One thing that is always true, however, is learning never truly takes a summer break. Whether or not we can experience the outdoors as usual, we can always escape with a good book.