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View Winners → Monrovia Schools Slowly Opening Again
Monrovia Weekly Mar 31, 2021
Monrovia students on stage before the pandemic. | Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
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On Monday, March 29, elementary schools in Monrovia began the process of reopening after a year of remote learning via Zoom. The opening began with just the youngest students — prekindergarten, kindergarten, and some first-grade students. According to Dr. Katherine Thorossian, superintendent of schools, “The first day was fantastic!”
She reported that “The kids were happy: the adults were happy.” She said the children were excited to be in class. She explained that the parents of students in Monrovia Schools had the option of having their children attend class in person two days a week with additional education online. Half the students who are attending in person will be in class on Monday and Tuesday; the other half will attend on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, all students will participate in remote learning. For complete details on the plan go to the district’s website: monroviaschools.net.
Thorossian and most of the district office staff were on hand at the elementary schools. She was at Wild Rose Elementary School. She said that the return to classrooms was orderly and enjoyable for the students. “I watched two little girls run to each other and hug. They had never met in person but had recognized each other from their virtual meetings on Zoom.”
Selene Lockerbie, who was at Monroe Elementary, said that the students all seemed to be elated to return to school, some for the first time. “The office staff were really glad to have the students return,” she said. The staff has been working on site during the entire pandemic to ensure the remote learning process was functioning properly.
The teachers have all gone through additional training to prepare for the return to in-classroom education. The superintendent explained that teachers had to learn new “bathroom procedure” as well as continual cleaning. On Wednesdays, during the all-remote learning day, the classrooms will all go through a “deep cleaning,” as well as the common areas.
All the students are expected to wear masks while in class, and those classrooms that need them will have air cleaners. The desks have also been spaced apart for “social distancing.”
The teachers will be addressing the “roomers,” as those who attend class in person are called, and the “zoomers,” those opting to learn at home only, at the same time. “We are an organization continuing to learn” said Thorossian.
