Catholic high schools brace for unpredictable year, learning from the spring

The fear that Catholic schools would be hit hard by remote learning because the cost of tuition would be more difficult to justify has not panned out. The opposite, in fact, is proving true.

Word is spreading that area Catholic high schools are uniquely suited to provide high-quality distance learning and are also equipped to provide more in-person learning than many of their public-school counterparts. As administrators finalize their plans for an unpredictable school year, they’re seeing a surge in interest from new families. It’s shaping up to be the busiest August in memory.

“If anyone had any idea how many hours are going into planning for next year, they’d be mystified,” said Frank Miley, president of Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, which will use a hybrid model this fall, combining in-person and online learning.

Ian Parzyck, a science teacher, described a similar process at Holy Family Catholic School in Victoria, which will reopen for full-time, in-person learning this fall. “When I think about all the things that have gone on this summer, it’s ‘no stone left unturned,’” he said. “We have looked at every angle and created a contingency plan for each angle, so we feel really comfortable about our return.”

The return also makes him feel really happy, he added. “Last spring was gut-wrenching for me,” he said. “I became a teacher so I could be in a classroom, teaching science, and that was removed.”

Planning for the 2020-2021 school year began with assessing last spring’s rapid-fire switch to distance learning. The administrators of the archdiocese’s Catholic high schools forged a close collaboration, conducting weekly online meetings to swap strategies and offer support. As their teachers and students adapted to a new norm and reports emerged on widespread struggles at public schools, it became clear that Catholic high schools were rising to the challenge.

Looking back, administrators identify a number of advantages that set them up to succeed. Some pertained to technology. First, students in the Catholic high schools already had access to technology, including many one-to-one tablet or laptop programs. Second, the students had ample experience with that technology, and some, such as Cretin-Derham Hall, DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis and Benilde-St. Margaret’s in St. Louis Park, had been using it for distance learning on snow days.

“Our students and faculty had a built-in understanding of how the digital resources and tools worked,” said Sue Skinner, principal of Benilde-St. Margaret’s. “There was not a huge learning curve on that end, so our teachers were able to quickly select tools, digital resources and instructional strategies that provide the best virtual experience for students.”

A third factor that equipped Catholic high schools to excel, administrators said, is that their teachers and families are extraordinarily dedicated. This proved crucial. Together, they were invested in making remote learning work, Parzyck said. “That’s the Holy Family way: Give us the Rubik’s cube, and we’ll figure it out and find a way to create some connectedness.”

That’s not to say the Rubik’s cube was easy, he added. “If I have to stay up till 2 a.m. to get it ready, I’ll stay up till 2 a.m. to get it ready. This will be my 19th year of teaching, and my hardest year was last spring.”

But the effort paid off. Local Catholic high schools transitioned to online learning last March far more swiftly than public schools. Holy Family had even conducted a trial run, keeping the students at home one day in early March and then evaluating the online experience together the following day back in the classroom.

Extra effort was poured into communication, the glue to effective remote learning, Parzyck said. The veteran science teacher emailed his students weekly plans and posted them on Twitter. He constantly referenced their schedule and published his lectures on YouTube.

That leads to a fourth factor that enabled Catholic schools to thrive: a stronger sense of community. The close-knit ties that were cultivated long before COVID-19 were nurtured during closures, often in creative ways, including hair contests via Zoom and meme challenges.

These games were intended to inject levity amid a pandemic, said Annie Broos, Cretin-Derham Hall’s director of communications. “One of the things that the Catholic schools, as a system, did phenomenally well (last spring) is we cared for the whole child. What about their spiritual needs? What about anxiety in trying to figure this out? What do parents need to know so they can be helpful? That’s the secret sauce in terms of academic success: how to connect with the students.”

Listening to student feedback and circulating surveys allowed teachers to adapt on the fly. Some Catholic high schools switched to a block schedule — where students only take half their courses a day for longer periods and then switch to the other half the following day — to create less stress on families coping with the coronavirus. More will make the switch this fall to accommodate online learning.

Having lower teacher-student ratios also made the online experience more adaptable.

A fifth factor that provided a safety net last spring was the generosity of benefactors. Catholic high schools were determined to help families who suddenly lost jobs or business, and their donors stepped up in a big way to offer tuition relief.

Cretin-Derham Hall raised $400,000 on one day. “I couldn’t believe it!” Miley said.

Those donations provided financial aid for more than 80 families, he said — and additional funds are allocated to help their families in the future.

Meanwhile, DeLaSalle raised $200,000 for a COVID-19 support fund that offered tuition assistance to more than 130 families.

These five factors converged to make for a successful spring in the midst of the pandemic, lifting the value of a Catholic education into sharp relief. And word spread.

Firsthand testimonials traveled around cul-de-sacs and across Zoom calls as July’s heat wave bore down.

They converged with another reality: Twin Cities Catholic high schools seem more equipped to re-open their buildings this fall, thanks in part to smaller class sizes and better facilities. Cretin-Derham Hall students, for instance, will enjoy fuller access to their campus this year by eating lunch outside and going outside between classes, a 5-minute period that may be extended to 10 minutes.

Now, as administrators continue to review the state’s “Safe Learning Plan” announced by Gov. Tim Walz July 30 and to finalize their re-opening plans, many local Catholic high schools are seeing a surge in interest from prospective families.

New families have recently been contacting Holy Family because they’re seeking in-person learning and they’ve heard how special the school is, according to Scott Breimhorst, vice president for enrollment.

Meanwhile, at DeLaSalle, where a hybrid model will be used this fall, Director of Marketing Matt Lehman is seeing a similar uptick. “We are encouraged by the many families who have expressed interest in DeLaSalle for this school year and have seen interest pick up following a decision by other local schools and districts who will begin the year with a full distance-learning model,” he said.

As of the first week of August, the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield had not announced the model it would use for re-opening, but enrollment was already up from last year’s 636 to 645 and climbing, said Sarah Hauer, marketing and communications officer.

“Parents are looking to give their kids a greater chance at the option of in-person or hybrid school, and our smaller class sizes in comparison to public schools increases that,” Hauer said. “Additionally, word of mouth spread about our success in AHAOnline, our distance-learning program.”

Holy Angels later announced that this fall, it will use a hybrid model.

Faculty have been busy building on the successes found in distance learning.

For instance, Cretin-Derham Hall teachers hope to make the online portion of their lessons more synchronous. “The faculty brought that up themselves,” Miley said. “We did a good job, but we can do better at that.”

He’s invested in new technology to make it happen: 360-degree cameras from Swivl.

Holy Family is making a similar investment to allow for online learning that feels more like a live broadcast than pre-recorded lecture videos, Parzyck said.

“There will be some kids who can’t come, so our job is to create an environment that makes it feel like they’re here even though they’re not,” he said. “I’m ridiculously ecstatic about that commitment (to the software and hardware). Part of what makes it fun to be a teacher is to be unscripted. But in an online world, I became heavily scripted. I had checklists. There’s less wiggle room for the creativity that flows in a teaching environment. I’m really excited because for me, as a teacher, that was what made my heart hurt. I was missing that opportunity to be with my kids and to be my creative self.”

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Asked about their experience with remote learning last spring, three high school students in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis shared some reflections via email:

“I was definitely scared. I’ve never done online school, I’ve always had the same routine. Weirdly, I really missed taking tests in class. Just the environment of everyone around me focusing on the same thing and knowing the teacher was right there — it’s not the same doing it at home.”

— Kerry Salisbury, Cretin-Derham Hall incoming senior  

“BSM has always placed a great emphasis on utilizing technology in the classroom, so when distance learning began, students were already equipped with the resources to succeed at home. They were also familiar with the system, as we have online school rather than a school cancellation due to inclement weather. Additionally, teachers ensured that we had face-to-face connections with them at least once a week through a video conference with the whole class, and they were available for office hours every day, whether it was to get help on an assignment or to just chat about life. BSM worked hard to make sure that academic help was still readily accessible during remote learning. The administration conducted surveys and listened to our feedback to continuously revise the format of online school to allow students to have the most success. Obviously, it was very different than being at school, but the transition to online school was smooth because of the hard work of the technology coordinators, teachers and administration.”

— Sarah Luong, Benilde-St. Margaret’s graduating senior

“The end of my sophomore year will definitely be one to remember as we had 10 weeks of online learning. Luckily, our teachers knew just what to do to make that time worthwhile and full of learning. One thing that I think really helped our online learning was our online practice day. The week before everything closed, Holy Family anticipated that they would move to online school, so they set up a practice day. All the teachers had assignments posted online and we had meetings in every class. The next day, we went back to school and collaborated about what went well and what didn’t work as well. From the programs used to the amount of work, everything was discussed to better help our learning. Through this, the teachers were able to learn about online classes from the students’ point of view and personally assist anyone that needed help. The following week, when online school was made mandatory, I felt 100 percent prepared and was able to learn with almost no difference from in class learning. I am really appreciative of Holy Family for always being willing to do what needs to be done for the students. We are always the No. 1 priority. I feel ready for my junior year because I know I finished my sophomore year out strong.”

— Ellen Ries, Holy Family incoming junior