The school year across North Carolina, and the country, started out a bit differently than was hoped this year. While many had thought that all children would be able to return to the classroom, the continuing COVID-19 pandemic forced many school systems to make other plans for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
The Alamance-Burlington School System (ABSS) was one of many districts in North Carolina that greenlighted a back-to-school plan to begin the year with nine weeks of remote learning under the guidelines of Governor Roy Cooper’s ‘Plan C.’
Concerns about remote learning quickly poured in — from educators and parents — as everyone tried to imagine how to make the best of remote learning. Alamance Achieves knew it could assist in bringing together different groups within Alamance County to identify ways to leverage existing resources. And Beyond the Classroom was born.
Starting in July, Alamance Achieves and partners such as Alamance County YMCA, Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of Alamance County, the City of Burlington Parks and Recreation, Elon University, and a number of local churches, began work. With several weeks to prepare before school began, these partners from different sectors came together virtually to align the community around the students.
Beyond the Classroom’s primary goal is to provide safe learning environments and support Alamance County students as they transition back to school in the most unconventional way. ABSS has done a phenomenal working with partners in the community that can best serve students. Many of these partners are already integral parts of our community and are able to serve students by providing virtual learning spaces for them that are not too far from their homes.
For instance, many local churches offered their buildings, allowing Beyond the Classroom to adapt those empty worship spaces to support this new community-wide need. It’s just one example of the many ways Alamance Achieves works within the community to leverage resources to support children and education.
Cameron West, pastor at First Baptist Burlington, said, “If everybody is able to pitch in with their strengths, so much can be done because this was built and created in such a short period of time but that’s because Alamance Achieves had people to point to and even helped me get connected to the right people at ABSS and through that I’ve gotten linked up with other individuals who are helping to pitch in.”
Alamance Achieves will continue to work with these groups as ABSS prepares to make another shift to a hybrid model of learning for the students.
In Alamance County, we are stronger together. If you would like to network with Alamance Achieves to help with Beyond the Classroom, contact Lexy Roberts, lexy.roberts@conehealth.com, or Tyronna Hooker, tyronna.hooker@conehealth.com.
