‘Bring a Chair and Sunblock‘ Say Boarding Schools

 

Students at a small boarding school in California got an unusual request this summer: Come back in the autumn with your own chair, a sun hat and plenty of sunblock.

Moving classes outdoors is a central piece of Midland School's plan to get its 85 students back to in-person classes. By holding classes outdoors, the school hopes to avoid spreading the coronavirus.

It will not be a huge change for Midland students. They already grow much of the food they eat in the school's garden. They also heat water for their showers by lighting¹ a fire. And they hike through the school's 1,157 hectares of land.

The school hopes students will be tested for COVID-19 and will stay home as much as possible before coming back to the grounds in Los Olivos. The town is about 200 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles.

Christopher Barnes is Midland's Head of School. He told the Reuters news agency that he tells the students they are creating a "special year. Don't expect it to be like any other."

Midland's return to school has been delayed until the middle September. Governor Gavin Newsom has barred counties in the state with rising virus cases from restarting in-person classes.

Cases continue to rise across California. Barnes is prepared to further delay the autumn term or hold classes online if needed.

He knows that Midland is in a better position than many other schools. Although almost half of the students receive financial aid, the full cost of attendance² is over $62,000 a year.

The school puts a lot into each student and has very small classes -- one teacher for every four students. That means a high-quality education as well as great health benefits, Barnes noted³.

President Donald Trump⁴ has pushed for schools nationally to re-open in the fall. It is a move he sees as central to economic recovery. It also is seen as a way to help Trump's re-election chances in November.

But school districts in Los Angeles and San Diego have said classes will return with online teaching only in August. The districts note the sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates in California.

Barnes hopes the small community in Midland will help create a coronavirus-free place. He knows boarding school environments have their own health safety concerns. For example, students are used to eating meals together and sharing bathrooms.

Outdoor classes

Across the country, boarding schools are quickly making changes to get students back to in-person classes while keeping them safe.

The Association of Boarding Schools represents around 200 nonprofit U.S. schools with a total of 90,000 students. Half of those students are boarders.

Meera Viswanathan is Head of School at The Ethel Walker School in Connecticut. She told Reuters that the school is buying tents and outdoor chairs so students can have some classes outdoors.

Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts is one of the country's oldest boarding schools. It is making changes so that every student will have a single room. It is also remodeling a building where students can quarantine if necessary, Head of School John Austin said.

At Midland, roommates will become like family members for the purposes of social distancing and wearing face coverings. And the school plans to cancel the usual October break to limit students' exposure to the virus away from school grounds.

Parents will be able to visit to see their child and join them on hikes. But they will not be permitted in some areas.

Melia Collard will begin her final year at Midland in the autumn. She said she is happy to return to school. But she worries that all of the restrictions⁵ could be emotionally hard on new students.

Missing home is already hard when you know you will see your parents in six weeks, Collard said. "But, for a few months – that's going to be really, really difficult."

This fall, Raymond Carr will begin his final year as a student at Midland. He knows his last year in school may not be the way he had hoped. But he says he will make more use of the 56 hectares of hiking land.

"There were a lot of things that I wanted to do as a senior that now I don't know if I'm going to be able to do," Carr said. "So, the fact that I still have the outdoors and I haven't really explored it is what I'm really holding on to."

I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

boarding school - n. a school where students can live during the school term

shower - n. the act of washing your body with a device that produces a spray of water for you to stand under

hike - v. to walk a long distance especially for pleasure or exercise

benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect

district - n. an area or section of a country, city, or town

association - n. an organized group of people who have the same interest or profession

tent - n. a portable⁶ shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth (such as canvas⁷ or nylon), and is held up with poles and ropes

quarantine - v. to keep a person or animal away from others to prevent a disease from spreading

roommate - n. a person who shares a room, apartment or house with someone else

senior - n. a student in the final year of high school or college

1 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

2 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

7 canvas   

n.粗帆布，一块油画布

参考例句：

• The times that people used canvas boat have become history.人们用帆船的时代已成为历史。
• Smith painted an oil painting on the canvas.史密斯在画布上画了一幅油画。