Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus presents Nambe to 40-year service award recipient Karla Crane. Courtesy/LAPS
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Coping with the coronavirus topped the news in Los Alamos education in 2020.
On Feb. 27, Los Alamos Public Schools Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus, following the guidance of the NM Dept. of Health, was telling the public, “There’s currently no cause for concern at the schools, but we’ll keep you informed if that should change.”
By March 16, schools were closed for three weeks, which included Spring Break. In April, schools re-opened in online mode.
On April 12, Steinhaus wrote in a press release, “Thank you LAPS teachers, school counselors, principals and staff for rising to the occasion and finding a way to make it work for our students. We are continuing to emphasize connection before content and recognizing that students are very excited to see one another online. This is developmentally important. Providing a chance to interact with one another is as necessary as direct instruction. I am so inspired by the remarkable work of LAPS staff.”
In May, LAPS found creative ways to honor the Los Alamos High School Class of 2020, who received their diplomas solo.
At its May 28 meeting, the School Board approved the Safe-Start and Innovative Learning Task Force, which is developing plans for the successful opening of school in the fall.
Steinhaus explained that most school districts have created a task force similar to the LAPS group to create a detailed plan for starting school safely, conducting the teaching and learning process during the 2020-2021 school year, and reviewing data, identifying improvement areas and reporting progress.
The Aug. 27 school board work session was attended by more than 300 parents, students, staff and community members via Zoom. The meeting began with a recognition of outgoing board member Julia Baker who is relocating to Spokane, Wash. Melanie Colgan was unanimously appointed to the school board to represent District 4.
She began her duties effective Sept. 1. She replaces Baker, who served on the board for eight months.
The board unanimously approved all five elementary schools moving to the hybrid model starting Sept. 21, followed Oct. 5 by Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Oct. 19 by Los Alamos High School (LAHS), but these dates would be pushed back.
Elementary students began hybrid learning, two days in person, two days remotely Oct. 19, but LAHS and LAMS remained in remote mode, and are so far not transitioned to Hybrid Learning.
The Los Alamos School Board paused Hybrid Learning in elementary schools from Dec. 7 to Jan. 18, 2021.
Aspen Elementary School Nurse Miceala (Misha) Brown, RN, BSN, was the first LAPS employee to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in mid-December.
The first school board meeting of the new year is Tuesday Jan. 12, when new officers will be elected.
