Every Saturday, we highlight a non-teaching staff member on our Facebook and Twitter (@vcsc_teamvigo) account, turning Saturday into #Staffurday to introduce you to some of the people who make school happen!

Every year is a great year to celebrate our staff, but this year has shined a bright light on the flexibility and compassion of our incredible staff.

Today, meet Mrs. Shelly Osborn, the treasurer and a secretary at Otter Creek Middle School.

Be sure to check back on Wednesday as we highlight another teacher for #RedforEd Wednesday! We’ll continue both campaigns through the end of the school year.

We’re highlighting a teacher every Wednesday as a part of the #RedForEd campaign.

Every year is a great year to celebrate our teachers, but this year has shined a bright light on the flexibility and compassion of our incredible staff.

Today we’re highlighting Mrs. Annie Bacon, an English teacher at Otter Creek Middle School.

How has your job changed due to COVID?
COVID changed so many things.  I had to adjust quickly to new technology. I spent a lot of time learning how to navigate Canvas.  Teaching remotely, I had to become more creative in how I delivered my lessons.  I created a teacher YouTube page to help facilitate remote learning.  Some activities I usually do had to be planned out differently due to social distancing. Another big change has been not being able to see my students’ smiles due to them wearing masks.  You don’t realize how much you rely upon the smiles or laughter of your students to gauge how they feel or how a lesson is going. While masks are important, I have had to find other ways to gauge if kids are happy or engaged.

What is something that people don’t understand about your job?
I don’t think people understand how much we work behind the scenes. Teaching is not a job I just leave at 3:15. Sometimes I bring the struggles of my students home with me.  I worry about my students.  I might be worrying if a kid had dinner that night or maybe I am worrying if a student grasped what I taught that day. I don’t think people realize how much goes into what we do or how much we spend out of our own pockets for the greater good of our kids. To many of us, teaching is not just a “job.” It is our passion.  We love what we do and think of our students like they are our own.

Why do you love VCSC/your school?
I absolutely love working at Otter Creek. I really feel as if I work for the best principal and assistant principal.   Principal Gore and Assistant Principal Thoma are amazing leaders. Our entire staff is one big support system for our students and for each other. It is in this support system that a happy work environment exists. I absolutely love my colleagues and feel as if we all build each other up. We all have the same goal, which is to serve our community by inspiring and teaching generations of our youth. It is a true joy to go to work every single day not only loving what you do but  also loving whom you work with. I really believe our students see and feel that from us. A happy environment is created all around, which leads to a positive learning environment for our students.

Be sure to check back on #Staffurday–Saturday, that is–as we recognize members of our non-teaching staff. We’ll continue both campaigns through the end of the school year.

Based on improving internal and community COVID-19-related data, the Vigo County School Corporation is working to move all middle and high school students to a four-day-per-week in-person learning schedule. Under this plan, Monday will still be a remote learning day for all middle and high school students, and all students who chose in-person learning this year will attend school Tuesday through Friday. The plan has been developed with consultation from the Vigo County School Corporation COVID-19 Task Force, the Vigo County Health Department, and several local healthcare leaders.

Middle school students will attend school four days per week starting on Tuesday, March 2. High school students will start a four-day-per-week schedule on Tuesday, March 9. The plan was approved in Monday night’s board meeting.

The move to more in-person learning for middle and high school students is focused on improving the academic success and mental health of students. The district will retain Monday as a remote learning day for middle and high school students to continue to practice remote learning and to allow for contact tracing for weekend cases.

“This is an opportunity for us to refocus on our mitigation strategies,” said Dr. Rob Haworth, superintendent of schools. “Our continued defense against the spread of the virus at school coupled with lower community spread has brought us to this day, and we must continue to be safe.”

Student mental health continues to be a concern. In January 2021, the district saw a 83% increase over January 2020 in school-based crisis assessments. By February 10, 2021, the district had already reached the February 2020 total for school-based crisis assessments.

The Vigo County School Corporation has an additional tool to combat the spread of COVID-19. The district has begun testing symptomatic staff members–who are still staying home when symptomatic–using BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests. 

The district has studied districts with large high schools like Brownsburg, Avon, and Plainfield–schools with students who have attended school 5 days per week–and has concluded that community spread, not educational model, is the largest driver of cases in the school setting. Other large districts who have been in an A/B schedule at the secondary level like Bartholomew County and Seymour have already announced similar plans to move to full in-person instruction. The district continues to see minimal spread within school settings, including at the elementary level where students attend each day. While quarantine numbers may increase, the district and schools will develop the best possible plans for high traffic situations like lunch.

“We support the idea of a staggered return to in-person learning for middle and high school students as community case numbers and local hospitalization rates continue to hold steady,” said Dr. Darren Brucken, Vigo County Health Commissioner. “The benefits to students in regards to academics, mental health, and interpersonal relationships with our teachers is undeniable. Continued mitigation strategies of distancing and masking will be strictly observed, and we will continue to monitor community case numbers and work together to contact trace cases.”

All schools within Vigo County will be monitored, and staff availability will continue to be the most important indicator of when a school may need a period of remote learning.

Rules for Vigo County School Corporation athletic events will not change at this time, and each participating athlete will still be allotted 4 tickets per contest.