Social distancing setting the tone for successful school year

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – “We got the process out to our community, out to the parents and also the students.”

“The process,” is something to which no one involved with Raleigh County schools has ever faced before. Social distancing within school buildings was always going to be tough, but three weeks in, it’s full steam ahead.

“The students have just went completely into it,” said Beckley-Stratton Middle School Principal Yahon Smith. “They’re watching the amount of space they’re seeing. If somebody even gets close, they’re like, ‘Oh, we stay six feet apart.’ So, they’re on top of it, from day one.”

The staff at Beckley-Stratton has also gone through an adjustment period, both inside and outside of the classroom.

“It’s been a big change for us,” said Beckley-Stratton Middle School PE Teacher/AD Mark Daniel. “Some of the games we’ve played in the past, we’re not able to play them, or we have to make modifications on them. If you do a tag game, you can’t do that anymore, so you have to make some changes on it. Other than that, it’s been pretty much the same.”

Beckley-Stratton students, typically falling between 11-14 years old, mind you, have more than answered the challenge placed in front of them so far.

“The school culture is thriving right now under this unfortunate situation that they have to deal with,” Smith said. “So, at their age range, they’re doing an excellent job.”

Smith noted that Beckley-Stratton and other schools are evolving every day and the success that they’ve had so far this year won’t change that mindset going forward.

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