Archer’s campus closed Monday, Feb. 5, as Southern California was hit with a rare category five atmospheric river. Other private schools in Los Angeles County, such as Oakwood School, also closed their campuses for the day. School resumed in-person the following day Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Head of School Elizabeth English sent an email informing Archer students of the school closure Sunday, Feb. 4. Classes were conducted asynchronously the following day, with teachers posting lesson plans on Canvas. Some teachers also emailed students with instructions. Student completed assignments, such as readings, slideshows or worksheets remotely.
Junior Emma Winkler said the asynchronous day felt reminiscent of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she was easily able to adapt to independent, at-home learning.
“It really felt like a flashback to the pandemic and COVID, especially kind of in the earlier days,” Winkler said. “We obviously didn’t have a Zoom, but being able to control my own schedule to take that independent role in my learning was definitely something that I was used to from COVID. It didn’t feel too much of a shock. It was definitely crazy to be back in that time period.”
Math teacher Matthew Bartha said he was able to easily adjust his lesson plan to make it asynchronous, and the rain day did not create signifiant setbacks in his class’ learning progression.
“I got the sense that we’re sort of in a long stretch of the school year, and so while I hope everyone is okay and property is safe, I think everyone could use the day off,” Bartha said. “It didn’t affect my lesson plan. It was a very positive experience.”
All after-school activities and sports practices Feb. 5 were cancelled because of the storm, including the Night of Dance rehearsals. Night of Dance performer Lexi Wolf (’24) said she does not believe missing one day of rehearsal will severely impact the dancers and feels confident that the dance company will have sufficient time to prepare for their upcoming performances.
“We were supposed to have tech week from 3-5 every day, running act one of the show. But, because the rain canceled school, we were not able to do that,” Wolf said. “It set us back a day of rehearsal, but I’m honestly feeling pretty confident about all the dancers and dances. We still have two more weeks of rehearsals, so I think it’s all going to end up great.”
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