Desk shields as ‘force fields’ help students adjust to new school year at Marshall Primary in Anderson 2

At Marshall Primary in Anderson School District Two, hundreds of the youngest learners are learning new lessons in hygiene, technology and patience as the school delivers both in-person and virtual teaching to start the new school year.

“Our young students are amazing, and they’ve adjusted well to all the changes. Some teachers told the students their desk shields created a ‘force field’ around them, which they loved,” said Christine Lewis, assistant principal at the 400-plus school serving pre-kindergarten through second grade.

While all students are required to wear face masks while walking into and out of school, elementary students aren’t required to wear masks in the classroom once they are seated behind their desk shields.

Before Anderson 2 schools reopened, the school district bought portable Plexiglas shields that fit on desks. Crews clean each shield and work space throughout the day.

In a normal year, Marshall Primary School provides a mixture of traditional and Montessori classrooms. The school works to provide a solid educational foundation that all future learning is built upon.

This year, about 100 students opted for virtual learning. That, along with some Marshall teachers being repurposed as Virtual Learning Academy teachers for students across the school district, results in a less-crowded facility and provides more space for social distancing.

“We are having new families register daily for face-to-face classes,” Lewis said, “and we have plenty of space right now to accommodate that. We’ve been able to space out our lunch periods to ensure a full cleaning of the cafeteria takes place between each class.”

Because of concerns about continuing COVID-19 infections, state leaders allowed school districts to adjust their start dates for the new school year. The state also provided for a week of “LEAP” days before the opening day to help gauge students’ progress from last spring.

Donald Andrews, interim superintendent in Anderson 2, said he quickly learned that school administrators and teachers had been working throughout the summer to prepare for the possibility of continued virtual learning or a hybrid model.

“When I walked in the first of August, there was a solid plan, and that plan allowed flexibility because every week we were getting new guidance from the state about the virus and what we might need to do,” Andrews said. “This district has exceptional school leaders and we are seeing that in how smoothly this ‘different’ school year has started.”

In Anderson 2, all K-12 students began their classes Aug. 25, regardless of whether they opted for in-person or remote learning.

“The LEAP days gave our students an opportunity to return in very small groups to spend a day with their teacher, to learn new procedures and to complete the state-mandated assessments,” Lewis said. Our students came in smiling and this is the first year we didn’t have multiple students crying on the first day – that’s a great start!”

Lewis and Andrews celebrated all the teachers in Anderson 2 who have been flexible since last spring with how and where they would be teaching.

“Our teachers are rock stars,” Lewis said. “They have risen to the challenge, both face-to-face and virtual teachers. They put our students’ needs first, and advocate for the children. Our staff loves our school and our families.”

Marshall Primary is a unique school because it offers four educational programs to its students. For four-year-olds, full-day preschool is provided to qualifying at-risk families. Primary and Lower Elementary students may choose either Montessori or a traditional classroom model for kindergarten through second grade. And, due to the pandemic, Marshall Primary now offers families a Virtual Learning Academy program.

“We believe that each child learns differently, and that differences are to be celebrated,” Lewis said. “By offering families a choice in how their child starts public school, we are confident that children start out strong to build a lifelong love of learning.”

For more information about Marshall Primary or Anderson School District Two, visit www.anderson2.org.

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