Her poor dining room table.
Normally reserved for company or those special family meals, the surface is now abused by the weight of schoolwork by her three children, and with her duties as principal of Wheeling Central Catholic High School. Becky Sancomb is a lady always with a long to-do list, but since schools were closed by state and federal officials, her duties have extended from the morning wake-up to the final nod-off.
She and her students, though, did benefit from preparation, and that means the learning continued with everyone involved at their own homes thanks to the in-house development of an online system that allowed classroom work to continue despite the coronavirus crisis. For the past four years, in fact, the academic calendar at CCHS has not needed altered because of an excessive snowfall.
Not only does her work as high school principal continue, but Sancomb is now a teacher, too, for her three children who also have continued their schoolwork. And yes, it all takes place at the dining room table.
Were you surprised with the quick closure of schools in West Virginia? Why or why not?
We had been following the updates by the CDC and our local health department pretty closely for a few weeks prior because we had a group of students and staff who were supposed to be traveling abroad for spring break. I had sent a notice to parents a few days before because I felt like it was going to be inevitable and we needed to be preparing. The reality and possibility are two totally different things, however. It still felt surprising that this was all happening.
How many days of learning were missed by CCHS students?
The announcement was made on Friday. We gave students and teachers Monday to prepare and get their home learning/teaching spaces ready. Tuesday we began our cyber schooling. We have been doing cyber days on inclement weather days for several years so we had a framework to work with. Our students all have a Chromebook and teachers have been utilizing tools and resources that could translate to a virtual learning environment. We have updated some things along the way to better meet the needs of our students as the time has been extended for cyber schooling. We are making adjustments as we are learning lessons.
How does the high school’s online learning system work?
There are so many ways to approach this that it can be overwhelming for both teachers and students. We established that Google Classroom would be our digital “home base” where teachers would communicate lessons, instructions, and assignments since we were already using it. From there, teachers can present lessons in different ways. They are using video conferencing, video messaging, tools for creating multimedia lessons, and other resources. I’d say the most important thing is staying connected and keeping those relationships that we know are so important in an engaging learning environment. Faith is ingrainded in our mission so we continue to try to provide ways for our students to live their faith through prayer and service. We continue to work on supporting students and teachers through all of this. Our students miss their friends and teachers. Our teachers miss their students and colleagues. I miss them all!
You and your staff are now faced with decision concerning prom and commencement. How will those decisions be made and when do you expect to announce them?
First, we have to abide by the guidelines/mandates set forth by federal, state, and local officials. We would love nothing more than to have these special events for our seniors. We are holding on to see what the state does regarding school, and what restrictions will still be in place for gatherings. If we can’t have these events as scheduled, we would like to reschedule. If restrictions prevent that from happening in a reasonable timeframe, we will work with our seniors and their parents to come up with the best alternative plan possible. The truth is, I know anything short of fulfilling the time-honored traditions that come with being a CCHS graduating senior will be disappointing to all. Our goal remains to honor and celebrate the seniors’ accomplishments and contributions to our school with the same love and care that we have for past seniors.
These days what is the common day for the principal of Wheeling Central Catholic High School?
Oh boy. I’m sure it looks a lot like other working parents’ day. I try to get up and going like I would for a typical school day. From there it is toggling back and forth from my principal duties to my mom duties. For work, there are lots of conference calls, video conferencing, emails, planning, organizing, check-ins with teachers/staff/students/parents, decision making, and checking off of other necessary tasks. As a mom I am managing the online school schedules of my 5th, 6th grader and preschooler while checking assignments, tutoring, and trying to keep their meeting times with different teachers straight. Thankfully their teachers and school have been very supportive. I am also thankful to have my husband’s partnership through this. In addtion to his own work schedule, he is helping to keep the boys very active. Beyond going through lots of food, laundry, and trash; we are doing lots of adjusting, refereeing, reassuring, loving, and praying. Some days there is complete chaos and some days we manage to have a semblence of order and are quite productive. We pray for everyone’s safety and for a time when we can reunite with our family, friends, schools, and community.
