Six-year-old Maddie of Dunkirk, who attends NCCS and is the daughter of Megan Zaffalon-Mackowiak, holds a poster reminding everyone we are all in this together. Submitted Photos

Eating lunch together, seeing Mrs. Nalepa’s dog and creating art projects are activities that Northern Chautauqua Catholic School students typically enjoy when they are together at school. Believe it or not, students are still enjoying these activities and many more — from home — thanks to the hard work, flexibility and creativity of their teachers.

“These teachers are just doing amazing work, and so are their kids,” Principal Andy Ludwig told the OBSERVER. “The quality of education hasn’t diminished, even though it looks really different right now. I’m so proud of all of them.”

Unlike public schools, private Catholic schools like NCCS will likely face serious financial challenges once in-person classes resume. “From our Angels Campaign in January, things were going great,” said Ludwig. “But donations have dried up. We received a notification from the Diocese that because people aren’t going to mass, offerings are down. The subsidies we were receiving from the Diocese are much less now.”

Despite the decrease in funding, NCCS’ costs, particularly payroll, have remained steady as teachers and students now work from home.

Ludwig is hopeful that the momentum of the past year and a half will continue so that NCCS can continue its mission of providing high-quality, faith-focused education for many more years.

NCCS third grader Sophia Starks is pictured here working on a paper-mache project at home for Tina Cooper's art class.

Math teacher Karen Nalepa has been teaching every day via Zoom since school closed. “I’ve had 85% participation,” she said. “All students are invited. If they can’t be on the live call, the recording is posted on Google Classroom.” Each week day, Nalepa’s classes meet at a set time, which is no easy feat, as she teaches six different math classes a day for students in grades five through eight. In March, Nalepa’s fifth grade students were multiplying fractions, her sixth graders were learning the basics of algebra, her seven graders were learning about ratios and rates and her eighth graders, all of whom are on the advanced track to earn algebra Regents credit, have been working on quadratic functions.

“We come on each day and we meet, start out with chit chat just like in a normal class at school and catch up,” Nalepa explained. “The kids show us their pets and their bedrooms; we call them ‘field trips’ to see everyone’s houses. It’s really fun!”

The students also enjoy seeing Nalepa’s dog, who is a regular presence at the school. For Nalepa, the shift to online learning has been an adventure, though not without its challenges. “Honestly when I started this, as I think every teacher in America felt, I was petrified,” she told the OBSERVER. “Math isn’t something that you can just learn from a book…Sometimes it’s not pretty, but daily I teach full lessons. They’ve had a three-week packet and on Tuesday, they got a four-week packet. We go through the work, their notes and I hold my notepaper to the screen to show them what I’m doing.”

Students take photos of their homework and email them to Nalepa so that she can provide timely feedback. The few students who are not online at home are still able to pick up and drop off materials for class, and Nalepa is able to communicate with them by phone.

Nalepa’s fifth grade students have enjoyed their Zoom classes so much that they requested a second Zoom session at lunch time, just to eat and talk with one another. “I don’t do a lot of talking during that one,” Nalepa admitted. “Really, they want to see each other! They miss each other, they miss us and they miss our school…I think that in this time that nothing is normal, it just gives them a little bit of normalcy.”

Lucien Eckstrom, a student in Barbara Crossan's Pre-K class, has continued story time at home. He is pictured here with his sister, Lorelai, who will be enrolling at NCCS next year.

Special education teacher Kelly Tippens has continued to support her students from home. Each day, she logs in to Nalepa’s seventh grade Zoom class and “sits in,” just like she would in the actual classroom. Using Zoom is brand new for Tippens, and she is pleased with the collaboration it facilitates. “Every day at 2 p.m., I do a Zoom resource room with my seventh grade student,” she explained. “It reinforces the notes that Karen did with the class, fills in the gaps and gives us time to start the homework together.”

Tippens has also worked with her fourth grade student, who occasionally does not have access to the internet. “When we’re online, we read her science book together by taking turns reading paragraphs. For the time when the internet connection is poor, we’ve started letter writing so that she can practice writing and reading aloud what I wrote to her,” said Tippens.

While online work is continuing as well as it can, Tippens anticipates that educators will recognize the effects of the pandemic for many years. “There are going to be gaps for years to come, I think, especially in math,” she noted. “As teachers, we just have to realize that a student was in the COVID crisis, which is why they’re missing that piece.”

Tina Cooper’s art students have been busy honing their creative talents at home. Cooper created a “We Love the Monarchs” Facebook page, where students’ families can share photos of their work. Her students are also participating in Catholic Health’s Hearts for WNY Heroes poster project by coloring hearts in honor of frontline workers, uploading them to app ClassDojo and forwarding them to healthcare networks.

What does distance education look like for NCCS’ youngest students, those in Barbara Crossan’s PreK class? “We use ClassDojo to send messages and lesson plans,” Crossan explained. “We also use it to have daily story time. I record myself reading a story to the children, and they can listen to it when it’s convenient for the parents. This keeps them engaged in reading and learning literary terms, such as author, illustrator, setting and characters.”

Like others, Crossan is using Zoom for weekly class meetings so students can sing, read and interact with each other online. In addition to the work packets that are sent home, Crossan has shared websites that provide virtual field trips, music and art projects for students. “We participated in the Dunkirk/Fredonia teddy bear hunt where families drove through town trying to find teddy bears in house windows,” she said.

An important component of an NCCS education includes service, and even through distance learning, students are giving back to their community. “Several of our students have done chalk drawings thanking local heroes. We have colored pictures and cards to send to local nursing homes,” said Crossan.

While the school day may look very different now, certain things haven’t changed a bit. “At the end of the day, we’re all together, and we’re all a family,” said Nalepa. “Our school is such a special place. Some of these kids, like my eighth graders, have been together for 10 years. For them to suddenly be displaced is really hard. We’re very, very blessed to have such wonderful students and supportive parents.”

Those interested in learning more about the mission of NCCS or contributing to the school, can contact Ludwig at 366-0630 or email aludwig@nccschool.us.