蜜桃影视

This piece, originally published by , is part of a led by the Institute for Nonprofit News and member newsrooms. (See more rural case studies at 蜜桃影视)

Gusty winds blew corn husks through the school鈥檚 parking lot on November 16 at South Hamilton Schools

It was another day of the staff trying to keep up with the daily reports of sickened students and faculty, making sure kids pumped hand sanitizer and wore face masks nearly all the time, properly social distanced during band practice and lunch periods, and pivoted from teaching in-person and virtual learners while taking extra time to help those struggling.

Even the lunchroom is different this year.

Cafeteria tables limit seating.

Extra tables have been set up in a balcony area of the high school gym; the scent of pasta with marinara and alfredo sauce lingers near the school banners declaring South Hamilton鈥檚 athletic prowess.

Here are more glimpses of the South Hamilton school district of more than 700 students and the community.

The Superintendent

Ken Howard鈥檚 office shows off the history of South Hamilton like a freshly opened time capsule.

There are historic momentos on the wall, from a 1968 program from the opening of the current buildings in Jewell to the lyrics of the school song.

There are also current reminders of this year, like the mask that rarely leaves his face.

No one could have anticipated the radical changes to the way Iowa instructs its students. According to the Iowa Department of Education, there are 330 public school districts, 487,652 students and 37,386 teachers. They work in 1,316 buildings.

In mid-March, Howard saw the rapid spread of COVID-19 across Iowa and the United States.

鈥淚 saw this and said, 鈥極h, this is hitting our own doorstep,鈥� 鈥� Howard said.

Howard helped gather resources and the community pitched in to keep kids on the path to learning.

Local telephone companies set up WiFi connections to keep kids online for remote learning. Staff members spent hours of extra time to prepare lesson plans and develop innovative ways of teaching. Local churches opened their doors to give students socially distanced space for working on their laptops during spring, summer and fall.

The school district鈥檚 towns set up food distribution sites for families who were hit financially. Hamilton County鈥檚 unemployment rate flared up to 9.2 percent in April but has been sliding since then, U.S. Department of Labor Statistics data show.

A food pantry at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Jewell helps feed the hungry, said Leo Reiter, the town鈥檚 mayor.

鈥淥ur local food bank has drive-by pickup; they take stuff out to people,鈥� Reiter said.

The Band Leader

A plastic tub in the South Hamilton band room reads 鈥淯SED.鈥� Aside it is a basket that says 鈥淐LEAN.鈥�

Inside each container are drumsticks, some of which are sanitized.

It鈥檚 another simple way to help protect students from catching the virus.

Band instructor Alexa Gibbs is serious about cleanliness. There are 140 band students for grades 7-12.

The school鈥檚 auditorium is marked with assigned seats six feet apart for students, spread out over socially distanced areas.

For brass players鈥� proficient spit valves, puppy housetraining pads are on the floor to soak up the deluge.

鈥淚t鈥檚 more beneficial to have something rather than nothing,鈥� Gibbs said.

The Principals

Steve Neuberger, who oversees the elementary school, and Jason Woodley, who runs grades 7-12, started their positions in July.

They faced redesigning the schools to make them safe while keeping students motivated and on the path to graduation.

Woodley walked into the school lunchroom, where students have a diet of not only meals, but socialization. He eyed it with a new perspective, using a Disneyland perspective 鈥� a fun experience driven by enthusiastic employees, even if masks are required.

鈥淟et鈥檚 pretend this is the greatest place on earth, in the cafeteria,鈥� he said.

Academic plans had to be drawn up for a variety of situations: Online only learners, in-person students and a hybrid schedule that was used during the mid-September outbreak.

鈥淚 feel like everyone鈥檚 bought in,鈥� Neuberger said. 鈥淭his is something we鈥檙e going to have to do.鈥�

It鈥檚 a continual effort.

鈥淣obody could really wrap their heads around it; it鈥檚 almost like people have embraced the craziness of the year,鈥� Neuberger said. 鈥淚n the end, we鈥檙e going to embrace that it鈥檚 the best that we can do for our kids.鈥�

The School Nurse

Shelby Fonken serves on the front line between the South Hamilton school doors and COVID-19.

Children with a fever, cough or runny nose wander into her office.

She plays a critical role in keeping students and staff safe, while working with the public to keep fear from enveloping the community. Fonken does contact tracing of students who have tested positive for the virus, tracking down a student鈥檚 known whereabouts for 48 hours before he or she first felt sick at school.

One critical part of her job is providing information about COVID-19 on the school website. South Hamilton posts daily notices of how many children and staff members are missing school.

It鈥檚 a bold step to provide those details, because some school districts don鈥檛 share them.

鈥淭o me, there鈥檚 no secrets with COVID,鈥� Woodley said.

In her first months since she started in August, she鈥檚 become an essential part of the South Hamilton team.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all in this together,鈥� Fonken said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l get through it one day at a time.鈥�

The Teacher

Elementary physical education teacher Jeff Steines鈥� created his own YouTube.com channel (SHCoachSteines) to keep kids active.

From March until June, he created a 鈥淏e Like Mike Challenge,鈥� asking students to perform and record their own basketball feats. Being inspired by NBA great Michael Jordan was an obvious choice, as posters and photos of Jordan decorate Steines鈥� desk and office walls.

Two students using leaf blowers to keep a ball suspended in midair? Done.

Putting value on hitting targets? Got it.

鈥淚 just want them moving,鈥� Steines said.

South Hamilton has utilized technology to help reach kids during the pandemic. Area communities have had improved broadband access this fall, thanks to local providers who have increased signal strength for some laptops.

If it鈥檚 a problem reaching students who aren鈥檛 in the building, then Steines will find a way.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 a barrier, we鈥檝e got to knock that down,鈥� Steines said.

This piece, originally published by , is part of a called “Lesson Plans: Rural schools grapple with COVID-19”. It includes the Institute for Nonprofit News, Charlottesville Tomorrow, El Paso Matters, Iowa Watch, The Nevada Independent, New Mexico in Depth, Underscore News/Pamplin Media Group and Wisconsin Watch/The Badger Project. The collaboration was made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, which also funds 蜜桃影视. 

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