Riverview IS for Certain

Riverview Adapts and Inspires Amid Pandemic

COVID-19 hit the United States in the middle of Riverview’s Spring Break. Students and staff were on vacation, and like everyone else, learned that School would be delayed in re-opening for a few weeks. Weeks turned into months, and through trial and error, resilience and determination, Riverview became highly-proficient at remote teaching. But nonetheless Riverview administrators and trustees worried about how the pandemic would impact students. Students were very confused by the events. They looked to their families and teachers for answers that nobody had. “Their world was being pulled away from them. They needed each other. They needed us. They needed to feel supported,” said Riverview Residential Instructor, Ryan Murphy. Residential staff quickly learned how to use Zoom, Kahoot and a plethora of other online tools to teach independent living skills, hold dorm meetings, instruct cooking demonstrations, lead dance parties, host game nights, and much more.

Staff juggled their own children’s schoolwork and their own emotions about the future and their families, with concern for their students. According to Riverview Reading Skills Instructor Alyce Mallaghan, “I just couldn’t let my students regress. I couldn’t let them loose the momentum we had worked so hard to build. I had to dig and find out what they were excited about, and do whatever it would take to keep them engaged.” Adaptation was the challenge, and Riverview staff members rose to the occasion. Kerry Macurdy, Riverview’s Work Experience Coordinator and her team had to be especially creative. How could students learn transferable vocational skills without going to internships and worksites? In an effort to replicate the authentic work experience, Riverview reached out to its community partners for guidance and support. They responded enthusiastically by sending employee manuals, tableware and linens for hospitality management training, and hospital equipment so students could learn materials management and sanitation practices as close to the industry standard as possible. Riverview created workspaces and developed lessons around employer codes of conduct and professionalism based on the employment manuals.

Every staff member rallied and learned how to meet their goals…differently. The Admissions Department started holding Virtual Information Sessions and Zoom Roundtable Discussions, the Advancement Department held its first ever Virtual Gala, the 8th Grade Stepping Up Ceremony and the Graduations were virtual. Everyone adapted; especially the students. Teacher, Elizabeth Clancy-Coleman expressed that Riverview students had become good digital citizens; how to be safe online, the responsible use of technology, and social skills for interacting with an online community. “These are skills that will serve students long after this is over as they navigate independent living and working,” she said. Head of School, Stewart miller agreed. “The Riverview spirit has persevered through adversity. While the world experiences a lot of uncertainty right now, it is clear that Riverview is for certain. The pandemic has put into perspective a whole new appreciation for the certainty of what Riverview makes possible for our students and their families,” he said.