Ogden school looking towards resuming classes, with or without classrooms

It's been a long Spring Break for the Ogden Community School District.

Last month, Governor Kim Reynolds recommended that Iowa schools close down for four weeks as part of the effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, extending what would normally be Spring Break well into April.

With the outbreak continuing to expand, Reynolds extended that closure last week, officially ordering schools to keep their buildings closed through the month.

The closure presented an unexpected challenge for the school staff as they scrambled to stay engaged with students during the extended Spring Break.

"We're just doing the best we can," said Superintendent Pam Dodge. "Everybody's trying to stay positive."

Though the building is closed, the staff remains active. Maintenance workers have kept busy cleaning the empty building and working on projects that may have otherwise waited for summer. Meanwhile, teachers have been reaching out to families to keep a connection with their students while classes are suspended.

"What we've been focused on is just connecting with the kids," said Elementary Principle Amy Krause. "Not even work related. Just seeing how they are doing."

To keep morale up, the teachers have come together to create activity videos and a digital joke book for the students to enjoy during their extended break. Whether it's through e-mail, video calls, or even old-fashioned postcards, Ogden teachers have made efforts to make sure that their students know they aren't forgotten.

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