'Bring a Chair and Sunblock' Say Boarding Schools
2020-08-05
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1Students at a small boarding school in California got an unusual request this summer:
2Come back in the autumn with your own chair, a sun hat and plenty of sunblock.
3Moving classes outdoors is a central piece of Midland School's plan to get its 85 students back to in-person classes.
4By holding classes outdoors, the school hopes to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
5It will not be a huge change for Midland students.
6They already grow much of the food they eat in the school's garden.
7They also heat water for their showers by lighting a fire.
8And they hike through the school's 1,157 hectares of land.
9The school hopes students will be tested for COVID-19 and will stay home as much as possible before coming back to the grounds in Los Olivos.
10The town is about 200 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles.
11Christopher Barnes is Midland's Head of School.
12He told the Reuters news agency that he tells the students they are creating a "special year. Don't expect it to be like any other."
13Midland's return to school has been delayed until the middle September.
14Governor Gavin Newsom has barred counties in the state with rising virus cases from restarting in-person classes.
15Cases continue to rise across California.
16Barnes is prepared to further delay the autumn term or hold classes online if needed.
17He knows that Midland is in a better position than many other schools.
18Although almost half of the students receive financial aid, the full cost of attendance is over $62,000 a year.
19The school puts a lot into each student and has very small classes -- one teacher for every four students.
20That means a high-quality education as well as great health benefits, Barnes noted.
21President Donald Trump has pushed for schools nationally to re-open in the fall.
22It is a move he sees as central to economic recovery.
23It also is seen as a way to help Trump's re-election chances in November.
24But school districts in Los Angeles and San Diego have said classes will return with online teaching only in August.
25The districts note the sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates in California.
26Barnes hopes the small community in Midland will help create a coronavirus-free place.
27He knows boarding school environments have their own health safety concerns.
28For example, students are used to eating meals together and sharing bathrooms.
29Across the country, boarding schools are quickly making changes to get students back to in-person classes while keeping them safe.
30The Association of Boarding Schools represents around 200 nonprofit U.S. schools with a total of 90,000 students.
31Half of those students are boarders.
32Meera Viswanathan is Head of School at The Ethel Walker School in Connecticut.
33She told Reuters that the school is buying tents and outdoor chairs so students can have some classes outdoors.
34Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts is one of the country's oldest boarding schools.
35It is making changes so that every student will have a single room.
36It is also remodeling a building where students can quarantine if necessary, Head of School John Austin said.
37At Midland, roommates will become like family members for the purposes of social distancing and wearing face coverings.
38And the school plans to cancel the usual October break to limit students' exposure to the virus away from school grounds.
39Parents will be able to visit to see their child and join them on hikes.
40But they will not be permitted in some areas.
41Melia Collard will begin her final year at Midland in the autumn.
42She said she is happy to return to school.
43But she worries that all of the restrictions could be emotionally hard on new students.
44Missing home is already hard when you know you will see your parents in six weeks, Collard said.
45"But, for a few months - that's going to be really, really difficult."
46This fall, Raymond Carr will begin his final year as a student at Midland.
47He knows his last year in school may not be the way he had hoped.
48But he says he will make more use of the 56 hectares of hiking land.
49"There were a lot of things that I wanted to do as a senior that now I don't know if I'm going to be able to do," Carr said.
50"So, the fact that I still have the outdoors and I haven't really explored it is what I'm really holding on to."
51I'm Alice Bryant.
1Students at a small boarding school in California got an unusual request this summer: Come back in the autumn with your own chair, a sun hat and plenty of sunblock. 2Moving classes outdoors is a central piece of Midland School's plan to get its 85 students back to in-person classes. By holding classes outdoors, the school hopes to avoid spreading the coronavirus. 3It will not be a huge change for Midland students. They already grow much of the food they eat in the school's garden. They also heat water for their showers by lighting a fire. And they hike through the school's 1,157 hectares of land. 4The school hopes students will be tested for COVID-19 and will stay home as much as possible before coming back to the grounds in Los Olivos. The town is about 200 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles. 5Christopher Barnes is Midland's Head of School. He told the Reuters news agency that he tells the students they are creating a "special year. Don't expect it to be like any other." 6Midland's return to school has been delayed until the middle September. Governor Gavin Newsom has barred counties in the state with rising virus cases from restarting in-person classes. 7Cases continue to rise across California. Barnes is prepared to further delay the autumn term or hold classes online if needed. 8He knows that Midland is in a better position than many other schools. Although almost half of the students receive financial aid, the full cost of attendance is over $62,000 a year. 9The school puts a lot into each student and has very small classes -- one teacher for every four students. That means a high-quality education as well as great health benefits, Barnes noted. 10President Donald Trump has pushed for schools nationally to re-open in the fall. It is a move he sees as central to economic recovery. It also is seen as a way to help Trump's re-election chances in November. 11But school districts in Los Angeles and San Diego have said classes will return with online teaching only in August. The districts note the sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates in California. 12Barnes hopes the small community in Midland will help create a coronavirus-free place. He knows boarding school environments have their own health safety concerns. For example, students are used to eating meals together and sharing bathrooms. 13Outdoor classes 14Across the country, boarding schools are quickly making changes to get students back to in-person classes while keeping them safe. 15The Association of Boarding Schools represents around 200 nonprofit U.S. schools with a total of 90,000 students. Half of those students are boarders. 16Meera Viswanathan is Head of School at The Ethel Walker School in Connecticut. She told Reuters that the school is buying tents and outdoor chairs so students can have some classes outdoors. 17Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts is one of the country's oldest boarding schools. It is making changes so that every student will have a single room. It is also remodeling a building where students can quarantine if necessary, Head of School John Austin said. 18At Midland, roommates will become like family members for the purposes of social distancing and wearing face coverings. And the school plans to cancel the usual October break to limit students' exposure to the virus away from school grounds. 19Parents will be able to visit to see their child and join them on hikes. But they will not be permitted in some areas. 20Melia Collard will begin her final year at Midland in the autumn. She said she is happy to return to school. But she worries that all of the restrictions could be emotionally hard on new students. 21Missing home is already hard when you know you will see your parents in six weeks, Collard said. "But, for a few months - that's going to be really, really difficult." 22This fall, Raymond Carr will begin his final year as a student at Midland. He knows his last year in school may not be the way he had hoped. But he says he will make more use of the 56 hectares of hiking land. 23"There were a lot of things that I wanted to do as a senior that now I don't know if I'm going to be able to do," Carr said. "So, the fact that I still have the outdoors and I haven't really explored it is what I'm really holding on to." 24I'm Alice Bryant. 25Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 26________________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28boarding school - n. a school where students can live during the school term 29shower - n. the act of washing your body with a device that produces a spray of water for you to stand under 30hike - v. to walk a long distance especially for pleasure or exercise 31benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect 32district - n. an area or section of a country, city, or town 33association - n. an organized group of people who have the same interest or profession 34tent - n. a portable shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth (such as canvas or nylon), and is held up with poles and ropes 35quarantine - v. to keep a person or animal away from others to prevent a disease from spreading 36roommate - n. a person who shares a room, apartment or house with someone else 37senior - n. a student in the final year of high school or college