Seeing that it has “facilities ideally suited to host small groups of kids,” Wintergreen Resort is conducting a survey of property owners and employees who are parents and grandparents to gauge interest in a program to “facilitate the online learning model” area schools are deploying in response to the COVID-19 restrictions.
A possible daily schedule for the program outlining the resort’s intent is shown here. It would flexible depending on a child’s schedule as outlined by his/her school.
The goal is to “provide closely supervised help accessing and maximizing the curriculum provided by each participants’ school in small, age-appropriate groups while emphasizing, and even exceeding, the basic health and safety requirements of the national, state and regional authorities.”
The resort says its facilities can “allow for better-than-required social distancing, hygiene standards, high-speed internet, consistent small groups (or “pods”), and food service–all of which are designed to minimize exposure and potential spread of the virus. It’s important to emphasize the program is intended to support your child’s school curriculum, not replace it.”
As outlined in a August 20th letter from Wintergreen Resort’s Rod Kessler, “participation will be limited to ensure we maintain the appropriate advantages in safety and health.”
Pierce Byrd, director of the resort’s Snowsports School and Children’s Program Manager, is overseeing this new effort. Byrd has a Masters’ Degree in early childhood education, “and, as luck would have it, Wintergreen has among its staff several others with teaching credentials. Pierce is an extremely capable leader who has been with us for a decade,” the resort’s general manager explained in his letter to the community.
“In addition to the time spent on remote learning, we think the ideal learning environment presents an opportunity for participants to take advantage of the unique outdoor natural resources of Wintergreen.
“The model we have created includes the option to participate in tennis, golf, swimming, hiking, skiing and other recreational activities to enhance the new paradigm. We can even provide opportunities to learn about environmental science and other educational areas of interest,” Kessler noted.
Final cost has not been determined and will depend in part upon the number of students. “Our sincere hope is the need for the program is short-lived, and in that context, we are not viewing this as a long-term profit-motivated endeavor. More details will be available as we know more about the level of interest from you for your children or grandchildren,” Kessler concluded in his letter.