Items

• 
  2021-10-08

  Lone Star WIN Journal Assignment

  Each week Lone Star students sign up for a WIN session. WIN stands for What I Need - these session are designed as interventions for missed material or to provide an extension opportunity in classes. The students who completed this assignment were selected by their social studies teacher to create a journal entry to submit to the archive. WIN sessions take place 4 times per week and are only 30 minutes in length. Because of these time restrictions journal entry lengths are a little short but kids were very excited to write their names in the history books!
• 
  2021-09-14

  The Start to the School Year is Unlike Any Other

  I wrote an opinion piece for Idaho Education News last week after the latest school board meeting in Nampa, Idaho. Since March of 2020 educators have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students continue to receive a quality education. Initially, educators were seen as 'heroes' of the pandemic. However, over the last 9 months, the rhetoric surrounding schools and teachers has turned nasty. Yet, teachers continue to show up every single day and offer learning experiences to all children. At last week's board meeting, the discussion focused primarily on a mask mandate for our district as hospitals in our state began rationing care given the soaring number of Covid-19 cases. There was an even split between the trustees who were in favor of masking and the trustees who were against masking. This split did not come as a shock to me. However, the line of one trustee hit me in my gut, "I guess I go back to the mission statement. I'm here for the kids, so I'm not going to worry about the adults." The mission and vision statement the trustee is referencing states that teachers offer "exceptional learning experiences" for every child. Given the largely unvaccinated population of our community, the high numbers of teachers out sick, and the alarming number of students out sick as mask mandate seemed like a simple request. However, the board did not vote in favor of helping teachers ensure we are able to provide 'exceptional learning experiences.' Are masks the only answer? Not necessarily. Last year, students attended school 4 days per week while the 5th day was reserved for students to connect with students who were in quarantine/sick and unable to attend school. This year, all of those requirements are gone. That being said, students and teachers attend school 5 days per week and there is no time allotted for teachers to connect with students who are quarantined or sick. Given the latest numbers, about 25% of our entire district is out sick. That is 25% of students who do not have access to their teachers. The article was published on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, and Idaho Ed News shared it on their Facebook page as well. Shortly after 7 pm MST the post has over 160 comments (mostly in favor of teachers), 250 reactions, and over 50 shares. In addition, I have received numerous private messages and emails from other teachers who thank me for giving them a voice during this 'unprecedented' time. While I am still a fairly new teacher with only 3 years of experience, there are veteran teachers who are being pushed to the brink. Many would like to think this is an Idaho problem but the reality is that teachers across the country are feeling unsupported and unappreciated by the communities they serve. I am fearful this will be my last year teaching - I LOVE my job. I remain hopeful that this year turns out to be something amazing.
• 
  2021-02-08

  #JOTPYSilver submission from Morgan Keena

  Silver lining - I got to spend far more time with my husband over the last year than I ever imagined. He’s a busy 3rd year med student but this pandemic really slowed things down for both of us. @covid19archive1 #JOTPYSilver
• 
  2021-02-05

  Keena Covid Vaccine Booster

  I got my vaccine booster on Friday, February 5th, at 4 pm. I was very excited to return to the local hospital for this vaccine appointment. On February 1st, tier 2 had opened, and vaccines were now being offered to anyone over 65. The hospital had really stepped up their game and was administering about 20 vaccines every 4 minutes (I asked), and they were so efficient! I got my second dose and then sat waiting in the lobby for 15 minutes. While I was waiting, there was a woman behind me (older than 65) who had just gotten her first dose. She was scheduling her appointment for her booster and struck up a conversation. She told me that she was so sad that so many people were dying, and she was excited to get the vaccine. She also mentioned that since her husband had died and she was no longer able to drive, she took a cab for the 45-minute drive to the hospital. She didn't care what the cost was - she wanted the vaccine. It was really quite sweet. After my shot at, 4 pm my husband and I went to our friend's home for our usual Friday night take out dinner. Around 10 pm, while we were still at our friend's home my ankles, knees, and hips began to get unusually sore. We left shortly after, and I was uncomfortable the entire car ride home. When we finally got home, I went straight to bed. At 6 am, I woke up with a splitting headache, body aches, and chills. I got myself out of bed to go to the bathroom (about 3 steps away) and immediately felt nauseous. I returned to bed, woke up my husband, and asked for water, Tylenol, and a heating pad. After taking Tylenol, I fell asleep for about 1 1/2 hours. Again, I woke up with a splitting headache and body aches but couldn't take any more pain relievers. I just laid in bed trying to get some rest and ordered Chick Fil A breakfast; I'm not sure why but that's what I was craving. I got out of bed to eat breakfast and promptly returned to bed. I took more Tylenol at 10 am and fell asleep for another hour and a half. When I woke up shortly before noon, I took a bath to calm down my body aches. My wrists and my shoulders/armpits hurt the worst. I stayed in the bath for about 30 minutes, which is a lot for me because I honestly cannot remember the last time I took a bath - I think they're gross. After that, I moved out to the couch, took more Tylenol, and watched a movie. When the movie ended, I went back to bed. I slept from about 3 pm to 5 pm. When I woke up, I took more Tylenol, moved to the couch, and watched another movie while my husband made dinner. I had some dinner and stayed on the couch until 10 pm. While the Tylenol helped with the body aches for about an hour, nothing seemed to touch my headache. I was using a heating pad on my neck and doing some yoga to try and stretch it. I went to bed with my usual nighttime routine and fell asleep around 10:30 pm. I didn't wake up at all overnight. I woke up on Sunday at 8 AM feeling AMAZING. It was like I had never reacted at all. My arm is not sore; I have no body aches and no headache. My husband is a third-year med student and spent most of Saturday looking at me like a science experiment because my body was reacting to the vaccine exactly like it was supposed to. Through all of the pain on Saturday, I was silently cheering on my body for doing its job because I knew that meant it was working. Through the entire pandemic, I was able to remain Covid free (as far as I know), and I would certainly take 1 day of vaccine induced pain over 7 days of Covid.
• 
  2021-01-15

  Keena Covid Vaccine

  My name is Morgan Keena, I live in Nampa, Idaho, I am a 7th-grade social studies teacher, and I got my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine today! Teachers weren't scheduled to start receiving the vaccine in Idaho until late February or early March. However, on January 11, 2021, our state superintendent of education delivered a speech to the Idaho legislature urging them to pass a law that would require all school districts to stay open unless mandated by the governor. Additionally, she urged that all students return to in-person learning full time as quickly as possible. On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, the governor of Idaho, Brad Little, announced via a press conference that K-12 teachers and staff were moved to the top tier and could start receiving the vaccine on January 13, 2021. This came as a huge shock to educators everywhere, but we know it is tied to the demand to have schools 100% in person. My school district, Nampa School District, then took on the momentous task of figuring out how to obtain vaccines for their nearly 1,000 staff members. Less than 36 hours later, they had secured vaccines for us at three major health systems and two smaller urgent care locations. The district also had one health system offering the vaccine on Saturdays and Sundays to better work with the teacher schedules. We managed to crash the portals of two health systems by overwhelming them with many vaccine sign-ups. I (by a miracle) was able to secure an appointment for January 15, 2021. Let me tell you; I have never been so excited to get a shot in my life. I received my vaccine from St. Luke's Health System in Nampa, Idaho. The check-in process was a breeze and done entirely on my own. I was very relaxed while waiting for my appointment but also exceptionally eager to get back to my room and get this first dose done. Once my name was called, I met with the pharmacist who would be administering my vaccine. She was a lovely woman, and I consider myself fortunate to have met her. She was such a calming presence as she explained the emergency use authorization for the vaccine, potential side effects, and what I could expect in the days after receiving this dose. She continued to use the line, "when I got my first dose...." which made me feel at ease. We talked about my job, her children, and how this school year has been wild. Suddenly, it was over! I had my vaccine and was ready to take on the world! Almost. After a couple of cases of allergic reactions to the vaccine around the country, they now require you to wait in the waiting room for 15 minutes after receiving each dose. I received the Pfizer vaccine and have scheduled my second dose for three weeks from today. As I was doing my time in the waiting room after my injection, I signed up for a program called V-Safe. V-Safe is run by the CDC and is used to track vaccines' side effects. Since this vaccine has emergency authorization, they are still collecting side effect data. since I signed up, they will message me once a day for the next week to do a quick wellness check. After the initial week, they will message me once per week to continue keeping up with any side effects I may encounter. I figure it's the least I can do to help science. I am super excited about receiving the first dose of this vaccine. My husband also received it today, and we are overjoyed by that. He is a third-year medical student rotating through various hospitals, so getting him a vaccine was a priority of ours, but it proved to be more difficult to obtain than we had thought. He received the Moderna vaccine, so we get to see how both vaccines work. I received the vaccine because I expect our school board to bring back middle school students 100% in-person and full time soon. Social distancing will not exist in the classroom, and I will be exposed to 150 students in my classroom and the other 150 students in my wing of the school. This is a good day for science. I feel excited and hopeful. I feel like I have hit the 'covid wall' lately, and I am just ready to be done with this.
• 
  2021-01-01

  Summer Reflection

  In March of 2020 the state of Idaho enacted a stay at home order. As a teacher I began teaching from home and my husband (a second year medical student) began attending all of his lectures from his office. In my mind I thought, "wow, we're going to get to slow down for a moment." I was so wrong. As a teacher I felt well prepared to move my students online. We already had the tools and platforms in place to make the transition go well. However, I wasn't ready for the overwhelming anxiety that came with the idea of walking away from my computer at the end of the day. Needless to say we continued on with our busy life from the confines of our 3rd story apartment. I continued my grad school class and teaching online while my husband continued studying and preparing for his first board exam. Over the summer I interned with JOTPY. The 12 hour / week commitment to the internship seemed doable and I was ready to be working on something. I'm not entirely sure what happened over the summer but I seem to have been so busy that it quickly turned into a whirlwind. The pandemic was supposed to have this major impact on what I was doing but I found ways to stay exceptionally busy. All of this to say I didn't have time to really reflect on my summer and internship experience. Looking back all I can say is wow. I was cleaning out my desk area last week in preparation for the return to work and grad school and as I was flipping through my notebook I found this page. This page represents a night from this summer that is hard to forget. I was busy working through my curation assignments in preparation to take the weekend off. However, about halfway through my assignment my curation group (shoutout to group 4!) starting chatting via Slack. We we just 4 students who were assigned to a group and we hadn't really chatted before. Suddenly we were talking about everything under the sun while all working through our curation assignments. I don't know that I have more to say on it except that it was fun and joyful. As 2020 turned to 2021 I started to reflect on the year that turned life upside down and I realized that it brought so much joy. While my husband and I have been blessed with our continued health throughout the year we acknowledge those who have not.
• 
  2020-09-02

  Board Meeting & Thank You Cards

  2 nights. 8 hours. 2 school board meetings. Wow. Nampa School district decided early in August to push their start date back to 8/24/2020 to allow for extra planning time and to start the year entirely online. Included with this decision was the responsibility for the board to reevaluate this every two weeks. Well, this week we hit that mark. There have been many rumblings regarding what was to come in the decision. The biggest community push seems to come from parents who want their students involved in athletics. As of last Friday, 8/28/2020, one of our local hospitals was reporting 17/18 bed occupancy in their ICU unit due to Covid. The situation in Idaho is not stellar. Tongiht, at our board meeting, 2 trustees fought and fought for schools to reopen and athletics to continue. However, our superintendent held strong. She continually cited information from the health experts in our area. She noted the tremendous work our teachers are doing. At one point, early in the meeting she said, "teachers are working twice.....three times as hard as usual. They are working harder than they have ever worked before and we need to acknowledge that." - Dr. Paula Kellerer, Nampa School District. WOW. I am submitting this item to the archive to write Dr. Kellerer's name down in history. She is a champion for teachers, all students, and the well-being of our community. In a time where the teaching profession is under attack and districts are fielding those hateful Facebook comments...Dr. Kellerer stands strong. She advocates. She's thoughtful. She listens. I recognize how tremendously fortunate I am to work in a school district with such tremendous leadership. So, tonight, I wrote thank you cards. I know I could easily email Dr. Kellerer and other trustees but there's something about a thank you card that has extra 'umph'. Dr. Kellerer, we see you - we appreciate you - and we thank you for being an advocate for education for all.
• 
  2020-08-23

  Underwear, Socks, Mask.......check!

  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine submitting a picture of my sock and underwear collection - but here I am. In the name of history! I am a teacher. I teach 7th grade social studies for the 3rd largest school district in Idaho. Our school board voted to start our year online as our COVID cases were spiking. Additionally, they decided to push our start date back a week. Our superintendent made the argument that we normally give teachers about 5 days to prepare for a normal school year and this was not a normal school year, so we got some extra time. Our district has been amazing. They are allowing the teachers to decide if they work from home or school. During the first week I chose to work from school. So, on August 23rd I was preparing to return to school. As I laid out my 'first day of school' outfit I realized it would include a mask. Well, here it is pals. Masks, socks, underwear....check! I am ready for my first day!
• 
  2020-08-17

  Keena Portfolio

  I joined the Journal of the Plague Year Covid-19 archive before the internship experience began. I contacted Dr. Tebeau and asked how I could contribute to the archive to develop a K-12 teaching experience. I quite literally hit the ground running. I had imagined slowly starting the work; however, I quickly realized it was like drinking from a firehose, and I loved it. Before this experience, I hadn't had much interaction with rapid response archives. They were a new concept to me, and the internship is where I learned what they were and how they functioned. As a student sitting in a history class, I think it's easy to see history as systematic and well planned because, by the time we are reviewing it, there has been some organization. Being part of the rapid response archive shows the exceptional amount of work it takes to archive history. While there is never a good time for a global pandemic to strike, this pandemic started during a beautiful place in my graduate studies. I had taken two of my core courses and a methods class. So, I felt prepared when discussing silences in the archive, biases, and other responsibilities held by the archive. This internship was a great way to use what I had learned over the last nine months and apply it rather than waiting until I had graduated to apply these skills. This application of expertise is something that doesn't usually occur during courses of study. I have also found that the internship has helped me shape my virtual class schedule as we head into the fall. While my district presented me with a virtual bell schedule to follow, it seemed like a lot to wrap my mind around, but I applied Dr. Kole's model for the internship to my class, sent it off to my instructional coach, and she loves it! While it's not directly related to the archive, the online pedagogy has been helpful. My favorite thing about working with the archive was curating. I just loved seeing all of the items come through and reading the stories attached to them. Beyond that, I feel like I have a great base of people I can now lean on through the rest of my time at ASU. I now have teacher friends in California with whom I am now sharing distance learning ideas. I hope these are the things that stand out when people think back to the Covid-19 pandemic. While it seems to be tearing through our country and pulling us apart, there's been a lot of good to come. I'm eternally grateful to have been presented with this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see how large this archive grows.
• 
  2020-07-24

  Summer School Selfie

  Did you even teach summer school if you didn't take a selfie? At the end of our 3 week in person summer school our principal ordered in food for all of the staff. There weren't many of us so we were able to share a meal together while still maintaining proper social distancing. This was the only time that we didn't have to wear a face covering of any sort. I remember how relieved I was when that day ended because I was tired of teaching summer school. But as we are beginning our year online I now miss those days because I got to interact with students in person rather than on a computer screen. The districts near us just decided to remain online until Ocotober 1, 2020 and I have a feeling that a similar decision will be made in my district as well.
• 
  2020-08-12

  A Successful School Reopening?

  It seems that schools across the country are busy developing colorful graphics regarding school reopening plans. Green often means students and teachers are safe to return to school, a yellow column suggests that masks should be worn and a hybrid model should be put in place, red means schools need to close to mitigate the spread. But have they developed a nice colorful chart the impact of schools reopening? How many cases among students is enough to close the schools? How many cases will it take for the public to accept that schools maybe shouldn't be opened at full capacity right now. Will we know if our reopening plans are successful? A school district in Georgia was open 1 day before sending home multiple letters about students who had tested positive. This article talks about the divide that occurs in a community when deciding whether or not to open the schools. I think it is easy for people to hear 'kids are less likely to get COVID" and just assume that it's safe to reopen schools. Students in grades 6-12 are more likely to contract COVID than kids in grades K-5 and that's because they're older. Students in grades 6-12 are also in contact with far more students each day (7 classes a day, 20 kids/class). It seems outrageous to expect schools to open at full capacity and without issue.
• 
  2020-07-30

  Nampa Starting School Year Online

  The Nampa School district which is Idaho's 3rd largest school district overall but largest school district that is 1:1 with student devices made the decision to start the year online. The decision was made after a special session with the Board of Trustees. Earlier meetings suggested that the school district would start in person with a hybrid model of instruction. However, after hearing the pleas of local health officials the district opted to start online. As a Nampa teacher I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I am a healthy 25 year old teacher and I believe that if I picked up COVID-19 I would recover. My biggest concern is for my colleagues. The career teachers who have been teaching for the last 25-30 years. Many are in an age category that puts them at risk and others have underlying health conditions that also put them at high risk. I am so relieved that out Board of Trustees listened to our local health officials.
• 
  2020-08-03

  Thank You Mr. President

  As a teacher I have witnessed quite a large debate playing out at school board meetings, over social media, and across the dinner table about whether or not schools should reopen for the fall semester. Perhaps one of the most compelling arguments I have seen is this recent tweet from President Trump. This description is very much full of sarcasm. Please, for the love of all humanity, consider the common good. Teachers want to go back to school but we want to do it safely. For right now, we need to be ok with teaching online. It's not ideal but we can make it work.
• 
  2020-07-01

  Teacher: ‘Parents need to go to work’ does not stop covid-19 at the school entrance

  Many have been questioning how schools will reopen in the fall following closures for most of the nation's schools in March. While there was hope that COVID would settle down, it seems to be doing the opposite, and while we inch closer and closer to August, the month when most schools start their fall term, the question remains; How will K-12 schools reopen safely? While many parents, guardians, and even doctors (The American Academy of Pediatrics) are pushing for students to return fully to campus this fall, citing just how necessary in-person teaching is. Teachers get it; we know we need to see our students to give them the best education possible. But, that doesn't stop COVID at the doors of the school.
• 
  2020-07-06

  Summer School Classroom

  I went back to teaching in person today. I have about 7-14 kids per class, their exits into the hallway were staggered by classroom, they were all spaced safely apart, and meals weren’t offered in the school but were bagged up and sent home. We can do this with 50 kids but trying to imagine what this would mean in the fall when we hope to welcome back nearly 850 students into our building is frightening. I hated teaching with a mask on because the kids couldn’t read my face and it changed the tone of the room. I truly teared up as I pulled into the parking lot this morning and saw kids walking to school - I’ve missed them SO MUCH!!! I don’t know what the answers are in terms of reopening schools. What I do know is that teachers don’t want to be teaching from their living rooms but if it means keeping the students we love so much and the colleagues we adore safe....then we’ll do it. We’ll move mountains to keep up with our kiddos. We didn’t get into this profession for the fame and fortune, we got into this because we truly love what we do. I wasn't placed in my normal classroom today. Instead I was put in the art room which had chairs for 15 students but no desks. There were many hand sanitizer stations around the schools and are halls are all 'one way only.' The students wear masks while riding the bus but immediately take them off upon arrival and they are washed and given back at the end of the school day. I've used more hand sanitizer in the last 24 hours than I have in a long time. It also has me rethinking class copies of work.
• 
  2020-06-29

  Summer School is a Go

  As of June 22, 2020, the Boise, Idaho metro was rolled back to stage 3 of reopening. After new cases of COVID-19 soared, the governor decided to close bars, night clubs, and various restaurants. While some school districts have already decided to go online for the summer, my school district decided to return to in-person classes for summer school in June. While we have been rolled back to stage 3, our summer school session is still a go. Today, June 29, 2020, teachers received an email from our principal outlining the procedures for returning to school. As of now, students will not be served meals while at school and will instead take lunch and breakfast for the next morning home with them at the end of each school day. Additionally, teachers are required to wear facemasks while interacting with students. I think this session of summer school is acting as a trial run for the district to understand better what the upcoming school year may bring.
• 
  2020-06-17

  No Shared Supplies

  As a 7th grade, social studies teacher I follow a few different teacher pages on Facebook. One of the pages shared this meme in June as schools began to describe their reopening plans for the fall. Many schools are moving towards individual supplies only. While this does make sense, it's hard to imagine this working well. Many students usually don't show up to class with a pencil! I can't imagine asking them to remember to bring their paper, colored pencils, and pens to every class.
• 
  2020-06-10

  Drone Book Drop

  Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia is one of the most diverse school districts in VA. They are often looking for new ways to reach their diverse student population. They were one of the first districts on the east coast to close when COVID-19 hit. They were able to do this because all of their students already have devices in their hands every day. They repurposed bus drivers to deliver lunches, pick up student devices for tech work, and to redistribute student devices when they were fixed and ready to go. Now, as they look into an uncertain fall semester they have teamed up with a tech organization to drop books to students via drones. While educators understand the important role that technology can play in the learning process it's important to remember that reading books is priceless.
• 
  2020-05-30

  Personal Journal May 23-30, 2020

  I am sharing this journal in hopes of being able to look back to it in the future. I felt so overwhelmed by working from home when COVID-19 started to rock the world and I didn't journal. Now that school has calmed down and I have temporarily relocated to Fargo, ND I decided to share my story. North Dakota is quite open compared to other states and has been for quite some time.
• 
  2020-05-30

  Life Didn't Stop for COVID-19

  While COVID-19 kept many at home over the last few months it didn't stop the inequalities and injustices faced by many across the United States. Many protestors in Fargo, ND marched through the city while also wearing their masks and being aware of social distancing protocols. The two women pictured, Janna and Marissa Diggs are a mother and daughter who are relatives of my mother.
• 
  2020-05-30

  Fargo, ND Rally for George Floyd - Masks Left Behind

  On May 25, 2020 George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, MN. Since then, riots and protests have rocked the United States. Most recently, a protest took place in Fargo, ND on May 30 beginning at 10 am. As I write this the protestors have just moved from gathering outside the police station to marching down one of the busiest roads in town. I just find such irony in the fact that just weeks ago people were marching outside state capitols about their freedom being taken away as they were being asked to wear masks. Today, while marching for equality for all people, masks are being handed out and worn by almost all attendees. These protests have so far remained peaceful.
• 
  2020-04-24

  Movie Characters Quarantine Style

  These screenshots were taken from a public Twitter account. The pictures are chalk drawings of Disney princesses and use lines that are similar to what was found in the original movies but replaced with quarantine items. I chose to contribute these because I think they'll be a great resource to use with middle school students in the future. Much like we use a lot of propaganda from WWII to teach students about life in the U.S. and Europe during WWII I would imagine these would be quite useful in explaining just how all-encompassing the COVID-19 pandemic is.
• 
  2020-05-29

  Smart Thermometers to Track Potential Coronavirus Outbreaks in Schools

  This article is interesting to me because the thermometer will allow parents to be able to check their child's temperature but also releases that data to a 3rd party company. Idaho encountered many protests advocating for businesses to reopen quickly. These protests also argued that being asked to wear masks into stores infringed on their freedoms. It begs the question, will people even use these? Especially considering they're being used to track health data of minors, what are the legalities?
• 
  2020-05-26

  Voices of 2020 - Brooke Degerness

  Brooke Degerness is a 2020 graduate of Northern Cass High School in North Dakota. She was interviewed by a local radio station and shared a positive message to other graduating seniors in the area.
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  2020-05-29

  Idaho Schools Facing Budget Cuts

  Idaho schools faced a 1% holdback when COVID-19 struck. We are facing additional budget cuts going into 2020-2021 school year.
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  2020-05-29

  Grades Truly Do Not Matter

  As we wrapped up our school year I went to finalize the grades for the fourth quarter and found my grade book was entirely empty. It was a glitch in the system but many teachers joked that this was just a sign that grades truly did not matter for students during the 4th quarter. Which is a feeling felt by many teachers and students across the country.
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  2020-05-29

  Middle School - Final Staff Meeting, Budget Cuts, & Student Population

  Staff Meeting 5/29/2020 Agenda: Wrap up the year Reflection: Today we learned that our Title 1 funding will not be increased and most will be cut for the next year. We are losing 2 staff members because of this cut and that leaves us in a place where we need to find elective classes for 240 students next year. We additionally lost another elective teacher this year as her funding was moved towards an instructional coach position. Middle schools are also in a unique situation right now as we are experiencing a drop in our attendance numbers. This drop is because our students right now were born during the economic recession of 2008 and the years immediately following. The 2008 recession is credited with a drop in the birth rate from 2008 to 2010. There were tears on our meeting as teachers are frustrated with our system moving forward. Our district was very fortunate to have the finances to weather this original economic storm but as we look forward we have learned that we don’t have the money to keep everyone on staff.
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  2020-05-11

  DEN to BOI

  On a flight from Denver, CO to Boise, ID there were roughly 15 people on the entire plane. This flight would normally have every seat full. Masks were required for everyone who boarded the plane, drinks and snacks were not served, and people were seated at least 1-2 rows apart from each other.
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  2020-05-23

  2nd Surge Food Preservation

  As restrictions begin to lift in North Dakota and Minnesota there are many items that are still in short supply. People are bracing for another surge in the Coronavirus and are buying up freezers to help preserve their food in case another stay at home order is given.
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  2020-05-01

  Journal Assignment - Lone Star Middle School

  Journal Assignment You are now a historian. Starting on Monday, April 13, you will be keeping a written journal. Once a week (or more if you would like), you will detail what you are seeing in the news. How the world, how the United States, how your friends, neighbors, and family are responding to this pandemic. You are creating a primary source that can be used by people in the future to learn about our lives during this crisis from your unique perspective. You can also use one of your other talents as you see fit. Drawing, poetry, etc. Be authentic, be honest, be reflective. Guiding Questions: You can write anything you like about your experience. The following is a list of potential things you can respond to. 1. What did the government announce/declare/implement today? I. Does it make sense? II. Does it impact your life? Why or why not? III. How did your family respond? 2. What is open in your neighborhood? What is closed? How does this affect you? 3. What does your neighborhood look like? Are people walking around? 4. How is today different from yesterday for you, your family, our nation, the world? 5. Did you see anything today that gave you hope? Anxiety? Fear? I. In person, in the news, or on social media? 6. What does your family need today that you might not have, have enough of, or have no access to acquire? 7. What has been your experience with distance learning? Do you think this experience will impact you when you’re back in an actual classroom?
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  2020-04-16

  A Classroom Frozen in Time

  This is a picture of my classroom on April 16th, 2020. Our school in Nampa, Idaho officially closed at the end of the day on March 16th and I didn't return to my classroom until one month later. It was like I was stepping into a time capsule. My 'On This Day in History' board had been filled out for the next day by a student before we had learned that we would not be returning. The student also took it upon themselves to list "March 17, 2020 the first St. Patrick's Day with the virus."
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  2020-03-29

  "I prefer my Corona in a bottle."

  As states began 'stay at home' mandates, a movement started in North Dakota to spread some joy. The campaign, titled #AWorldofHearts began as a Facebook page and encouraged people to decorate their doors and windows with hearts. Some people chose to fill their windows with colorful hearts, while others decided to rely on humor during this time of uncertainty.