ST. ALBANS, W.Va. — While Beth Sturgill, the principal at Central Elementary School in St. Albans is looking forward to the day where all of her students are back to in-person instruction, she said her school has made the most out of the turbulent fall semester during the pandemic.
All schools in Kanawha Schools are winding down the semester with virtual instruction due to COVID-19 numbers before heading on holiday break from December 23 to January 4.
At Central Elementary during the fall semester 166 students learned in-person, 32 students were in the virtual program and 98 students logged onto Schoology e-learning program. According to Sturgill, 39 more students are joining in-person learning next semester when it begins January 19.
“Parents have realized that maybe it is not as easy as what they thought it might be. That’s not the parent’s fault, we were all unknown to how this was going to play out,” she told 580-WCHS.
“They now feel like the school is actually a pretty safe place for kids to be.”
Sturgill said she will always be an advocate of in-person learning and looks forward to welcoming those 39 students back in the spring.
“You build relationships with kids better when you’re face to face with them,” she said. “A lot of times, kids respond better to the teacher when they build that relationship. They feel more comfortable asking questions, asking for help. The teacher can also gauge better when they are face to face, how the student is progressing.”
Sturgill, in her 5th year as principal at Central and 31st year in Kanawha County Schools said lacking those relationships with students has been the toughest challenges of the COVID-19 era.
She expressed some worry about the toll the students’ mental health has taken.
“Counselors have been a good resource to help those kids, build them up, get them back on track, and to provide them with the care they need,” she said.
She said ultimately a principal and her administration need to be there to support the students, parents and staff.
“Because it is such a crazy time. Everybody is at a different comfort level whether it’s remote learning, kids at home trying to navigate Schoology. We have to be ready to support all of that,” Sturgill said.