Grizzly grit keeps students committed to their education and community
March 13, 2020
Loading ...With COVID-19 spreading across the west coast, the San Marcos Unified School District shut down all schools in an effort to keep students safe. However, closing schools means closing resources to students, putting families in stressful situations. In an effort to alleviate stress on families, some school services will continue, providing food, academic resources, and interacting with the student body.
All schools will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday through Friday to provide warm meals on a “grab and go” basis. Despite this, most students are worried or angry about the implications of the school shutdown.
“Some people rely on school for things like food or as a substitute to their home life, and because our parents aren’t gonna be off of work, some people will have to take care of their siblings and will have a lot of added stress,” Noelani Tylee (12) said.
Many teachers are turning to Google Classroom, AP Classroom, and Synergy to communicate with students. Some teachers will continue to offer assignments and post lessons to keep their students sharp and equip them with tools to study independently from their homes. With children and family of their own, teachers understand that students also need time to care for their mental, emotional, and physical well being.
“I think students should be proactive rather than reactive, so students can think ahead: ‘What are the resources available to me and what can I do to try to continue my learning and prevent myself from falling behind?’ If students take advantage of the resources that they have at their disposal, I think they will find that they can be a problem solver and a critical thinker to navigate their way through this,” said Mrs. Markgraf, the I Am AP coordinator at Mission Hills.
Although College Board has not released an official statement addressing AP exams, they did announce that test centers holding the March 14 SAT will be closing, postponing the exam without a set date for make-ups. Students registered for canceled SATs will be fully refunded by College Board.
ASB will continue to use social media to keep the Grizzly spirit alive through interactive activities like challenges and giveaways. They plan to connect the community together despite the sudden cancelation of activities and to continue other campus-wide events scheduled in April, like Clash of Classes, Shark Tank, and Air Guitar, when the school shutdown is projected to be over. ONE TV will also continue posting their weekly videos to their Youtube channel on Wednesdays to update students on school matters.
“Use all the tools you have to support one another while you are away from school. Make sure you reach out to your friends to see how they are doing and if you are going to be on social media do your part to promote positivity,” said Mrs. Hinman, the ASB director at Mission Hills.
“None of us are necessarily trained in navigating such a complex and immediate obstacle, however, it says a lot about us when we watch how we respond to it,” Mrs. Markgraf said.
Though it may seem the chaos and panic of the pandemic is causing cancelations left and right, the closure of schools will not impede on the highly anticipated senior events of the school year such as prom, grad night, and graduation. The last day of school will be June 10. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to the Silvertip via direct message on Facebook and Instagram, leave us a comment, or email us at [email protected].