She’s deemed essential, but Stacey Creely is capable of working remotely as public relations director of The Linsly School in Wheeling.
Her husband, Dennis, was deemed essential, as well, but it’s not possible for him to work from their Clearview home. He’s in the nuclear power industry, and for millions in New England, Dennis is the guy why the lights still come on during this coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Stacey holds down the fort with her daughter, Olivia, a seventh grader at Linsly who has been introduced to online learning thanks to the quick transition made in mid-March by the school’s administration and faculty. After missing only two days of instruction inside Banes Hall, the 11-year-old spends at least five hours per weekday learning virtually while Stacey serves as homeroom mother, house chef (except for the chocolate chip cookies), and primary protector.
She’s a Wheeling girl, a Central Catholic and Bethany graduate, and her master’s degree was earned at WVU. Stacey has been an integral part of the Linsly community for 16 years after being recruited by former Headmaster Reno DiOrio.
“When Mr. DiOrio asks you something, it’s pretty hard to say no,” she said. “And I have been at Linsly ever since, and I am so blessed to now have my daughter attending.”
What has proved to be the biggest challenge since Linsly was closed on March 13?
Interestingly, I think what faculty and administrators at Linsly THOUGHT would be the biggest challenge — the transition to online learning — really didn’t turn out to be our biggest challenge at all. When Linsly made the decision to close, our faculty had only two professional development days to prepare their curriculum to go online. When we re-opened to an online teaching platform on Tuesday, March 17, I was so completely impressed at how quickly and efficiently Linsly’s faculty were able to transition their lessons and assignments online into meaningful experiences for our students.
So, the transition itself to online learning and instruction wasn’t necessarily the biggest challenge that we faced. I think the biggest challenge since we closed is simply that our students and teachers miss physically seeing each other, walking the halls of Banes, changing classes and socializing in the halls and at lunchtime, and of course, all of the spring athletics and fine arts events that we are missing out on as a result of COVID-19.
I also think that finding a way to properly recognize and honor our seniors during this difficult time is going to be a challenge. We know they are missing spending their final days together, and events like prom and graduation are still uncertain right now. But I know that our Head of School and administrative team are working on figuring out ways to overcome these challenges and to find ways to honor our senior class in the way that they deserve.
How has Linsly’s online learning system surprised you as a parent of a student?
Well, as you might know, I personally am not a stranger to online instruction. I’ve been an online adjunct instructor at West Virginia University in their online graduate IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) program for more than 15 years. But the difference is, I am teaching graduate students online. So, I was really curious as to how our teachers at Linsly could figure out a way to teach middle school and high school students in an online format that is typically reserved for the college and graduate levels.
As a parent of a current Linsly seventh grader, I have to say that I have been so impressed at the level and quality of instruction that my daughter is getting online at Linsly from all of her teachers. Her assignments are not review or busy work. She is actively learning new material and engaging with her teachers on a daily basis. Just yesterday in her online science lab, she was comparing photos of pea plants that they had planted in jars before school was closed. Her science teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Hempelmann, took pictures of the seedlings to show how they had grown and asked questions pertaining to their genetics (genotypes and phenotypes) that my daughter, Liv, had to answer by analyzing the photos and reading her science activity.
It also surprised me as a parent how fast my daughter fell into a routine. She knows that every weekday we are at home is still a school day. She wakes up and knows exactly what class period to begin with and starts her schoolwork for the day. It’s definitely a new normal, but from an academic perspective I don’t think my child has missed a beat.
You have lived at home with your daughter, but not your husband, Dennis … how stressful has that situation been on you and your family?
It has definitely been stressful. My husband has worked in Nuclear Power for over 20 years, so I am pretty used to him traveling for work, and Olivia and I have our own busy daily routines while he is gone. But this time, it’s different.
He is considered an “essential worker” because power plant workers keep our lights on, and I worry constantly that today is the day he’s going to go into the power plant and be exposed to COVID-19. He is currently working in a plant in Seabrook, N.H., but before that he was in Salem, N.J., one of the states right in the thick of this pandemic. Since he’s been gone, I have been trying to keep things as normal as possible for me and my daughter. We have established our new routines of working and doing school assignments at home together from about 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., and we take breaks for lunch and to walk our dog, Jewel.
Liv is almost 13, so there definitely have been days when her sassy attitude doesn’t mix well with my stressed-out Italian temper, but in the end, we know we are in this together. So even though it’s been stressful, we recognize that we are the lucky ones. We are safe at home while others, like my husband and medical professionals, are still going into work.
I’m really close to my mom, and she has always taught me to focus on what we can be grateful for, and that’s really good advice for everyone right now.
What changes that you have been forced to make will you maintain once the pandemic is over?
Praying. I grew up in a strong Italian Catholic family, but I have to admit that I don’t go to Mass every Sunday anymore. My Nana’s patron saint was St. Jude. He is the patron Saint of Hopeless Causes. When my Nana passed, I got her St. Jude prayer card and medals. Since the pandemic, I have been praying to St. Jude every single night. I have found a lot of comfort in that, and I’ll definitely keep doing that when the pandemic is over.
Once all of this is over, what is the first thing you and your family will do outside of the house?
Well, the first thing that I am going to do is head straight to the gym!
I guess I never realized just how important my “gym tribe” is to me until now. I workout with a fantastic group of ladies at the Howard Long Wellness Center; we call ourselves the “bootcamp buddies,” and we go out to dinner after our workouts once a month. I can’t believe how important the support and camaraderie of those women have become to me, and I am really looking forward to working out with them again soon.
As for my daughter, she will head straight to the barn at Cedar Groves Farm, where she boards her horse, Jaggs. She misses grooming and riding him every Sunday afternoon.
And while I can’t speak for my husband because he is at work right now, I would guess that his response would be that he just can’t wait to get home — the one place where we are all ready to live again. He has been on the road since this pandemic began, and to have him safe at home will be a blessing.
