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Online Summer Studies

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Online Studies Program a Success

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A new online studies program launched at Saint Bernard School over the summer resulted in a successful learning opportunity for students across the region.

“We creatively seized a great opportunity to keep learning alive while families were spending more time at home due to Covid-19,” said Holly Cyr, Director of School Counseling and summer program coordinator. “In a safe and rigorous learning environment, we worked to perfect distance learning and keep students connected with our school and each other throughout the summer.”

Saint Bernard engaged 108 students in 147 virtual classes throughout the summer, Cyr said.

The program offered courses for both credit and academic enrichment, and was open to current SBS students and area middle school and high school-aged students. Extra sections of some classes were even added to accommodate interest.

Will Hamburger, a ninth-grader, earned 1.5 credits over the summer. He took six courses including Economics, Constitutional Law, Topics in Algebra, Math Skills, Exploring Computer Science and SAT Prep.

“I enjoyed the debates and discussions in Constitutional Law,” he said, adding that the teacher used the technology well.

Other enrichment classes included Study Skills, Writing the College Essay, and Competitive Math. Other credit classes included Accelerated Pre-Calculus, Introduction to Advanced Mathematics and Health.

Sophomore Abagail Kowalyshyn was drawn to sign up for three courses because of the live, interactive format and so she could explore unique courses that are not offered during the school year.

While she took Health to fulfill a school requirement, and Exploring Computer Science, the history and law enthusiast enrolled in Constitutional Law “as a way to get more background on the Constitution.”

Each class met for about two hours, a format Abagail said helped her to easily transition to block scheduling for this school year.

“Because of the way the classes were set up, I still had time to interact with my friends,” she said. “The way they did it really made a difference. I think it helped teachers make the transition as well.”

School officials are already looking toward summer programming for 2021. Abagail says she will likely sign up again.

“We are grateful to our talented faculty (Mr. Cook, Mr. Donnelly, Mrs. Fowler, Mr. Garaycochea, Mrs. Jakubielski, and Mr. Kenyon) for sharing their expertise this summer, and to our students and their families who supported this program,” Cyr said.

Any students or parents of students who took summer courses are encouraged to send their feedback on the program to Mrs. Cyr at hcyr@saint-bernard.com.