Bloom 206 Finds New Ways to Educate Amid COVID-19

It is no longer business as usual at Bloom Township High School District 206, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Illinois continues with shelter-in-place restrictions through the end of April. The district is working to provide the best educational experience possible.

“The goal is to serve our students and families just as diligently as we did before the COVID-19 pandemic,” Superintendent Lenell Navarre said. “This means providing the space and tools for teachers to teach, for students to learn, and for our community to engage with one another. It also means providing resources, food, and consistent instruction.”

New Ways to Learn

Students at Bloom and Bloom Trail high schools are connecting with each other and their teachers in many ways, from having Socratic Seminars in Google Hangouts to hearing from their teachers via encouraging video messages. Both schools are reporting outstanding online student attendance.

Both core academic and elective teachers are engaging students with great online instruction. The Culinary Arts Department has created cooking demonstration videos for students. The Industrial Education Department continues to stress the importance of industry certification and students are completing OSHA 10, Electude, and NIMS Level I modules in preparation for certification. The district’s Music Department continues to prepare for the spring concert and marching season using Google Classroom and Zoom.

Counselors and deans at the two schools are in continuous dialogue with families to assess technology needs. The counselors are also setting up Google Classrooms. Bloom Trail counselors have been posing a reflective question for students to answer and getting thoughtful responses from more than 70% of students.

New Ways to Have Fun

Both schools found fun and exciting ways to engage in a digital Spirit Week, having students post photos of themselves on each school’s social media platforms. Among the spirit days was Blanket Fort Day, Camouflage Day, and Costume Day.

Bloom High School recently held a Friday Night Movie event via a Netflix watch party, bringing the students and teachers together as a community to watch the film and engage via Facebook groups, Google Hangouts, and text chains. The event encouraged students to share quotes and even act out scenes from the classic film.

New Ways to Serve

Along with all the remote learning and fun, Bloom 206 has been providing food to families to ensure students continue to have access to breakfast and lunch throughout this challenging period. The district is also continuously working to provide families with technology support, so that all students can share in the online educational experience being provided.

“I am confident that we will pull through this period as a community,” Navarre said. “It is challenging and it can be scary, but it will end. I’m eager to see our kids, teachers and community together again.”