The COVID pandemic that forced school-aged children across the nation into distanced learning through the end of the 2019-20 school year also pushed students in Grossmont Union High School District’s adult education program out of the classroom and onto the internet.
In 2019, Alpine Union School District Superintendent Richard Newman had said the local district was working with Grossmont to potentially offer some classes for the 2020-21 school year that would allow Alpine high schoolers to complete a portion of their high school curriculum closer to home, although it would not function as a regular high school.
Additionally, GUHSD had planned to offer community classes geared toward older adults as well career training programs.
That isn’t quite what unfolded, said GUHSD Lifelong Learning Director Jeff Wood.
“We had started with our community classes: yoga, line dancing, art classes like watercolors, quilting and it was successful but then COVID hit. So, for about eight weeks, we offered free classes while everyone was learning and finding their way through Zoom together,” Wood said.
Despite the extra challenge of helping students navigate through online applications like Zoom just so they could access class itself, Wood said students and teachers are all finding their way through best practices for online learning.
“Those first weeks gave everybody a chance to get on and play around, learn what was and wasn’t going to work so we could continue our classes,” Wood said.
He said they cannot offer some of the classes listed in the seasonal catalog but have been able to modify about 30% of their classes for online education.
“A large percentage of our learners, usually older adults have been successful with Zoom classes- we even have Zoom line dancing. There’s a lot in our catalog and we’re making it work as much as possible,” Wood said.
Still, he says they are watching the clock for a return to campus.
“Our next term starts on Oct. 12 so we may continue with either online classes or a combination, depending on how the climate changes. It could be blended classes, or classes that are face to face but small.
If we’re allowed to begin in person, it will probably be classes of about ten students and hopefully grow when things normalize in months to come,” Wood said.
One campus offering he says is unable to be duplicated online is former AES room 28, now dubbed Studio 28 at the campus.
Elle Arnot has been a great help as an art teacher up there. She took over room 28 and cleaned it up into a beautiful space. I’m excited for people to learn from her when we get a chance to get back to classes because she is amazing,” Wood said.
He also said they will likely revisit plans for career training classes in the spring.
“We’ll see what we are able to provide there. I say that because there are other places where classes are structured differently, we generally are less expensive than places like Oasis that also offers classes but we run in eight-week sessions so planning for things like that is a little different,” Wood said.
Until then, he says, GUHSD will keep working behind closed doors to help Mountain Empire establish their adult program as well as working on articulation so some of their courses will earn college credit.
Most of all, he says, they are not leaving and class is in session, online.
