Wye River Upper School to Use Hybrid Model this Fall

Wye River Upper School Interim Head of School Dave Mullen recently announced the reopening plans of the 2020-2021 school year, allowing students to get their education both online and in person.

The school plans on opening in a hybrid model, with a “Blue” group and a “White” group alternating between in-person and remote attendance. Each group will be on campus one day each week, with the groups determined by the requirements of transportation and classroom social distancing.

Preparations included organizing classrooms to ensure that desks are 6-feet apart, mandatory masks, touchless hand sanitizers, and upgraded internet access. Health guidelines from the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maryland Department of Health will be followed at all times

“Our plans for the beginning of the school year are evolving, just as scientists’ and doctors’ understanding of the virus is evolving, and government health departments’ responses to it are evolving,” said Mullen.

Mullen also noted the Reopening Committee has done “a terrific job, meeting throughout the spring and summer to formulate a plan that tries to balance the various needs of students, families, and teachers through the fall semester.”

Plans may change as circumstances change. If all goes well and community spread goes down, both groups will have the opportunity to attend school twice as often. Conversely, if community spread makes attendance unsafe, the school will move to an entirely online model.

Wye River Upper School showed last spring that transitioning into online learning could be done well. When Governor Hogan announced that schools were to shut down in March, the school moved quickly to pivot from physical presence to remote learning.

“Online learning will be a necessary component of school this fall for everyone as we see how the hybrid model works,” said Mullen. “We will give as much notice as we possibly can of any changes in the hybrid model. No student will be required to attend in-person, as we’ll continue to teach remotely for those students unable to come into the building.”

So far, the school has received positive feedback from the community, including from Bob Deutsch, a WRUS parent. His daughter, Alexandra Deutsch, is attending WRUS for her sophomore year, and is looking forward to this new approach to a school year.

 “The hybrid school opening format that the school is planning to implement provides the opportunity for our child to have in-person social interactions with her teachers and peers that are so important in high school,” said Bob. “(We also want her to) maintain the flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing pandemic environment.”