Post Pandemic Education St. Johnsbury

Details: Created on Wednesday, 05 May 2021 02:12; Written by John Habershaw

ST. JOHNSBURY – The St. Johnsbury School District received almost $4 million in federal funding and have until September, 2023 to use that money.

A plan that the school district has for the future is “Post Pandemic Education” and an idea of a summer program this summer, but this isn’t like a typical summer program where students who failed a class have to attend. This summer school will have a big emphasis on mathematics and literacy but also a lot of opportunities for students to have fun. Many schools around Vermont have considered this past academic year to be a lost year, but not in St. Johnsbury. Dr. Brian Ricca stated “We’re going to try to find as many silver linings as we can from this year, and it’s really important for us to build bridges and reconnect and give them a sense of normal.”

The summer program is not mandatory, and Dr. Ricca pointed out that he understands if parents felt that the school year was already tough and they would rather just have their kids enjoy the summer. The summer program is going to focus on three areas throughout the season, academics, student engagement, and social and emotional health not necessarily in that order. The school district plans on engaging as many people as they can, with first and foremost asking their students what they need next year, as well as the faculty and staff. With a newly assembled “reigniting task force” this group will help work with the responses that they get from their student body, faculty, and staff.

During the summer program the mornings are going to be academic and then when the afternoon rolls around it will be fun, engaging, and hands on. Dr Ricca stated “As a dad and as a super intendent I believe that’s a really important component to this…”we’re not going to try and cram a years’ worth of information into everybody’s head, and I’ll go back to what I said from the beginning we want a chance for our students to reconnect to come into our building and feel just a little more closer to what it was like prior to March of last year…that’s our vision.”