FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2020

Aberdeen Hall Shifts Rapidly from In Person to Online Learning

Kelowna, BC — Aberdeen Hall recently embarked on its most ambitious project to date: a rapid shift from in person to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the course of 7 days Aberdeen Hall’s Senior Leadership Team and their Director of Educational Technology, Mr. Derek Cutler, banded together creating a new website dedicated to online learning, set up Google Classrooms and remote offices for the school’s 110 staff and faculty and 650+ students and had more Zoom meetings than they ever thought possible.

Using their motto of ‘Teaching Excellence’ as a foundation, the school’s aim was to continue to provide a high quality education with a greater goal of creating connection and maintaining the community that is so central to their ethos.

“The learning curve was steep but we have an amazing, dedicated team,” said Chris Grieve, Head of School. “We also have a powerful community, and are going to work together and get through this.”

To keep students engaged and motivated in the new online setting, classes have been limited to a length of 45 minutes with lots of creative elements and human interaction including daily advisory Zoom meetings, virtual break-out rooms, video assignments, family movie trivia nights, and much more.

Recognizing that sitting for long periods combined with isolation can lead to anxiety and poor health, the school has continued with it’s advisory tradition of making April their 'Healthiest Month Ever.' Students will be participating in a variety of home workout challenges, nutrition initiatives and team building activities.

Feedback from the Aberdeen Hall community has been positive, “it feels like Aberdeen Hall is completely ready to go and make the best given [the] challenging times,” says one parent. “Building extra programming like this, really [does] make a positive difference in kids (and families’) lives!” says another. Says longtime Aberdeen Hall parents, Laura and Jim Cavaliero, “we’ve never, ever doubted that Aberdeen Hall was the best place for [our daughter’s] education, and we have always felt appreciative of the school culture. Through these destabilizing times, our appreciation for Aberdeen Hall has turned into deepest gratitude for offering community in a time where it is needed more than ever.”

While the present conversion to online courses is rapid and hopefully temporary, Aberdeen Hall staff and faculty believe there is much to learn and potentially incorporate into their future pedagogy. Says Chris Grieve, “These are challenging times, but we are up for the challenge.”


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About Aberdeen Hall
Aberdeen Hall is a non-profit, co-educational and non-denominational independent university preparatory school offering classes from Preschool and Kindergarten through Grade 12. Aberdeen Hall fosters academic excellence in a progressive school environment which is safe and caring. Our school in Kelowna offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities and supports a strong sense of community.

For more information please contact:
Christina Ullyot, Director of Admissions, Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School
[email protected] / 250 491 1270