While Mount Vernon public schools reopened in late August, one small local private school has been back in the classrooms since July 13.
Christian Star Academy had a four-week summer program that ended after the first week in August. Students worked on a project simulating the creation of a toy company, Sue Feasel, the school’s co-founder and only teacher, told the Mount Vernon News.
The regular school year started Sept. 8.
“We have managed so far to stay healthy,” Feasel said. “One of our families did have COVID-19 but it was in June before we started our new year. They did have to miss the first week and were able to return once they received negative test results.”
The school, which has only 13 students, is small enough that siblings are grouped together in the lunchroom and group activities, she said.
“That has been a big plus,” Feasel said. “We do have a couple of students who sit at a table by themselves because they don't have a sibling here at the school.”
The school had to bring in individual desks instead of the tables where students formerly sat.
“We also have our main hallway marked off for social distancing,” she said.
Students also wear masks that they can remove at lunch while sitting with their sibilings and at recess.
Last spring, while the academy was holding online-only school, Feasel created care packages for the students and hand-delivered them to their front porches.
“The care packages had library books, art supplies, and then just some special things for each child,” Feasel said. “I wanted them to continue to know how much I was invested in each of them.”
The students created cards that were sent to local retirement centers “just to let them know someone was thinking about them,” Feasel said.
They also continued their daily devotions during the online-only instruction.
“But being together now makes it so much better!” Feasel said.
