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S p e c i a l F e a t u r e I N D E P E N D E N T S C H O O L S Although GNS was operating full-time, in person last school year, it remains poised to be able to deliver GNS GO! Again, if necessary. "Last year, we continued to offer a robust co-curricular experience for our students," says Trevor Mannion, director of enrollment at GNS. "We put on virtual events, live streamed or recorded performances, or simply continued to train and stay engaged while having fun through intramural sports." Moving forward, GNS will continue its policies around health and safety and managing communicable diseases, and it will keep the school nurse role and additional mental wellness support indefinitely. GNS's ability to pivot stems from its greatest asset: its people. "In many situations, our parents and guardians were unable to come to campus last year and so they remained connected to the school through our communications," Mannion says. "Now that they are beginning to have opportunities to come back to campus, they are more eager and engaged than ever before and that continues to strengthen a wonderful partnership. Our students and employees have proven very resilient, and the pandemic bonded us closer together as a community." MULGRAVE SCHOOL Although the pandemic brought some negatives, John Wray, head of school at Mulgrave in Vancouver, says the team has taken away some important positives. "The first is the fundamental importance of well being," Wray says. "We have seen that young people are particularly affected by school closures and by online learning. Therefore, we have become even more focused on ensuring well-being sits at the heart of what we do." Mulgrave continues to stress how important the student-teacher relationship is and ensures the right supports are in place to address wellness needs. "Having a deep sense of social and emotional skills is important, and a sidebar to that is the value of being outdoors," Wray says. "The experience of working in isolation from peers and resulting loneliness has made it clear that online learning is not for every student." Mulgrave is currently experimenting with offering older students the choice to learn some subjects or units online or in class, encouraging students to embrace the chance to personalize their learning. "What we are not doing is forcing students to pick one," Wray says. "We are introducing a degree of choice based on participants' learning style and student preference." WEST POINT GREY ACADEMY Because its campus features considerable outdoor space, West Point Grey Academy invested in several outdoor tents— complete with heaters and technology—to hold classes outdoors, when possible. This was just one step toward protecting the mental health and wellness of students, faculty and staff. "WPGA also invested in mental health and wellness sessions for students, staff and parents across all grade levels," says Megan MacMillan, communications director for WPGA. "These included virtual workshops with mental health experts and our school counsellors, and access to the Indieflix mental health series for all families." The school also expanded its CARE (character development) program in the Junior School, which includes character- strengths learning to help students build their resilience and self awareness. "In the Senior School, we created the PEAKS advisory program with a focus on student mental health, self advocacy and personal connections," MacMillan says. Curriculum delivery has remained as vibrant and personalized as it was pre- pandemic. In a faculty survey on "covid- keepers" (operational practices and safety protocols to move forward), teachers suggested having permanent teachers-on- call, staggering lunches, having parents meet students outside for pick-up, and having students use more of WPGA's outdoor space. "WPGA was founded on a growth mindset, which includes an openness to new ideas and change and the desire to always be learning and innovating," MacMillan says. "Like many schools, we PHOTO: GLENLYON NORFOLK SCHOOL PHOTO: MULGRAVE SCHOOL PHOTO: WEST POINT GREY ACADEMY