On the final day of August, Colorado Academy Middle School students stepped foot on campus for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak, when CA transitioned to remote learning in mid-March.
Following the guidelines of CA’s “Smart Restart” plan, the first half of the Middle School, the group known as the Mustangs, returned to campus and were greeted by Principal Bill Wolf-Tinsman and additional faculty and staff who helped students find their way to their first class.
The nemesis of every Sixth Grade student on their first day in Middle School? Learning how to use their locker, of course. That did not happen this year. Students will not use lockers; they will carry everything they need with them throughout the day.
There was no lingering in the halls—in fact, there was no one in the school halls. Students will access all their classrooms this year from exterior doors, now brightly marked with the name of the teacher in that room.
Rebecca Silva talked her students through the busy first-day schedule.
Elisa Stolar guided her students around the campus, pointing out the places where they would be allowed to have mask breaks and relaxation.
Mrs. Butler and her students talked about keeping a safe six feet from each other, and they practiced measuring six feet, which, any Middle School student could tell you, is the equivalent of one Mr. Augustin.
Mr. Augustin took his class outside for some fresh air, exercise, and get acquainted activities.
Students discovered that the hugs they might have exchanged on the first day of school last year had to be replaced by waves from a distance.
And all teachers talked to students about CA’s Middle School “Big5.” These will be the five guiding principles of the year:
- Be kind and courageous.
- It is the student’s responsibility to be safe and to socially distance at all times.
- Movement between classes occurs outdoors—all weather. Come prepared.
- When you enter or leave classrooms, you use hand sanitizer or wash your hands.
- Masks are worn at all times unless a teacher gives you permission to take it off.
(Scroll down for more pictures of Mustangs on their first day.)
Rockies arrive for their first day
On the second day of on-campus learning, the second half of the Middle School students, the Rockies, had their opportunity to return to campus.
Buses arrived on schedule, and students were helped to find their first classroom by Admission Officer Karen Chavez and other helpers.
CA Operations staff immediately sanitized the buses before they left for their second round of student pick-ups.
Students met their advisors and teachers in person for the first time, after a week of getting to know each other during remote learning on Zoom.
Jason Koza’s students found their new classroom set up in Raether Library, as the Middle School expanded to accommodate all classes and keep six feet of distance between students.
Students greeted old friends from a distance.
They also found ways to burn some energy while staying at a distance.
Everyone practiced carrying everything they needed for the day in their backpacks.
And students learned from Spanish teacher Rebecca Silva that some types of PPE still enable students to see the smiles they know are behind every mask.
More pictures of Rockies on their first day
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More pictures of Mustangs on their first day
To download individual images in this gallery, hover on the photo and right click. Select “Save Link As” and choose a location on your computer. At this time, you cannot download the images on a mobile device.
