WINGHAM, ONT. -- If remote learning becomes mandatory after the Christmas break, the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board will be ready.
"In total, we have deployed 5,300 Chromebooks across our district," says Superintendent of Education Karen Tigani.
That’s enough laptops for every student and educator in the entire Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board, making them one of the only school boards in the province to have a device for each child.
"No matter the circumstances or where people are, whether they need to work from home, or at school. We are able to continue teaching and learning," says Tigani.
Currently, about 7 per cent, or 315 of Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board's 4,500 students are enrolled in the Blessed Carlo Acutis Continuing Education School.
"When we found out we were going that way three months ago, just the concept was like, oh my goodness, how are we going to operationalize this," says Aideen Moss, principal of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
It’s not always been smooth sailing, but virtual learning has allowed some high school students to access courses from other high schools in the province they can’t get in Huron-Perth, and vice-versa.
"We are certainly seeing how it is making learning possible to many in a situation that we certainly weren’t expecting this time last year, eight months ago, or ever at the beginning of the summer, to be quite honest," says Moss.
Teacher John Esposito has jumped into the virtual world with both feet, although he knows where he’d rather be.
"I would like to be in the classroom, but I see the virtual world as a good alternative, given the climate, in the terms of the pandemic," he says.
With a laptop for each child, if online learning becomes the only way to learn in 2021, all students in the Huron-Perth Catholic board, will at least have the tools to learn at their fingertips.
