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School 2.0

School News Network continues its reporting on how districts, teachers and families are helping students learn both inside and outside the school walls during the coronavirus pandemic. We want to serve our schools and you, our readers, during this challenging time, so please send us your ideas for stories we should be telling and questions that should be answered. Thank you, and live safely!

District builds sense of belonging with after-school programs

Northview Morgan Jarema

BASE offers free K-12 activities aimed at pursuing interests and honing skills...

Catching students up from pandemic’s ‘unfinished learning’

School 2.0 Charles Honey

Nearly three years since the pandemic hit, teachers and administrators are pushing hard to catch students up...

Empathy, flexibility, routine as both plus and minus

School 2.0 Morgan Jarema

Educators from Northview and Forest Hills districts weigh in on what they’ve learned...

Two years into pandemic, how are teachers holding up?

School 2.0 Charles Honey

From virtual instruction to student mental-health issues, three veteran teachers weigh in on how the pandemic has affected their work...

Halfway through the year, educators navigate pandemic challenges

All Districts Charles Honey

As COVID-19 cases surge, educators focus on keeping things afloat while hoping stormy seas turn into smoother waters...

Superintendents: Keeping schools open remains the priority

All Districts Erin Albanese

Local districts are putting their focus on remaining in person, but are ready to pivot to virtual learning...

Tech tools are now ‘part of everyday life’ for teachers

Godwin Heights Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Despite the many obstacles of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have seen positives shine through in the form of lessons — and gifts — they’ve experienced as a result of being forced to try new things...

Care, concern, collaboration and relationships: pandemic positives

Comstock Park Karen Gentry

Pandemic-era teaching no longer ‘an impossible task’

School 2.0 Beth Heinen Bell

Teachers from Cedar Springs and Rockford share their “Lessons of the Pandemic” experiences with School News Network...

Six feet apart, but closer than ever

Lowell Beth Heinen Bell

When the virus forced educators to change course, one Lowell teacher found a way to keep building community despite social distancing. Andrew Sargent shares his “Lessons of the Pandemic” story with SNN...

Vaccine clinics for GRCC, Kentwood communities focus on accessibility

School 2.0 Alexis Stark

Leaders at Grand Rapids Community College believe vaccines are an effective tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19, so they are working to make the vaccine process accessible for everyone...

Teachers weigh in on lessons of the pandemic

School 2.0 Erin Albanese

Teachers are recognizing what they've learned after 18 months in pandemic-mode

Hurray, it’s back-to-school! Now what?

School 2.0 Charles Honey

Educators and students across Kent County are excited by the return to in-person learning but face uncertainties around masking and the resurgent virus...

Help wanted: Schools work to fill vacancies

Grand Rapids Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Just like local businesses, area schools are facing an employee shortage...

Post high school, she’s pursuing big dreams in the Big Apple

Grand Rapids Charles Honey

A year after graduating from high school during the pandemic lockdown, Mariah Barrera is wrapping up her first year at Columbia University in New York City...