Killarney Guide

PE teacher Stephanie Outhwaite praises students, teachers, and families as they cope in a COVID-19 world

BY KIM LANGEN

A local gym teacher has been surprised and impressed by an excellent start to the school year.

Stephanie Outhwaite, who teaches high school and K-3 classes of physical education (PE) at Killarney School, said she felt compelled to let the community know just how well things were progressing during this pandemic year.

“I’m just so happy to be here, and teaching with the kids,” said Outhwaite. “Everyone is happy to be back. It’s been the best September we ever had. Everyone has been so flexible, and making it work, and all the little bumps have been handled well. After the second week, everything was going good. We noticed the improvement.”

Things are nonetheless vastly altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this has not curbed everyone’s enthusiasm, she added.

“The kids have been excellent with the protocols, the rules, and about the games we can’t play,” said Outhwaite. “The kids are really polite, with great manners, considering it’s not the best situation. I just wanted people to know it’s going really well. ”

A lot of PE focus is being made on outdoor activities this school year, in addition to sports still held in the south gym, she added. And a wonderful month of weather has made things even better.

“We are just starting with the province’s WalkTober program, and we are encouraging parents and kids to walk during this beautiful fall,” said Outhwaite. “We had our first volleyball practice last week for grades 5-12, and our first hockey practice was on Monday night. It’s a smaller league, and games could start in November. Cross-country skiing is going to be our primary activity for all the kids, K-12, during the winter, in January and February. We will be skiing on the school field, and hopefully on the golf course. They have wonderful groomed cross-country trails on the golf course every winter. The school has been collecting skis for the last number of years, and classes have been skiing here for around 10 years. The ski boots and skis are all here. We just need the kids to come, and be ready and dressed for the outdoor weather on ski days.”

During these recent mild days, however, Outhwaite has been taking the school kids out and about on informative nature hikes, mostly focused on activity in the growing beds in the new school garden, and around the school grounds, she added.

One casualty of the pandemic, however, was the cancellation this year of major track and field events.

“Track and field competition is on hold until the spring of 2021,” said Outhwaite. “The season will start again then. The Province cancelled all of the provincial championships this year, and there will just be local events.”

And has the pandemic created a lot of stress and anxiety in the students?

“In my elementary classes we aren’t seeing any of that,” said Outhwaite. “We are happily surprised that the kids are adjusting. And behavioural issues for some of the kids at our school have also improved this year. I feel that everyone is moving in the right direction.”

Teaching for the high school students, from grades 9-11, is now being carried out under a ‘hybrid’ system, she added. 

And one of the school’s two gyms has now been repurposed to help ensure there is a place for all of them to get the job done.

“For the Grade 12s, all essentials classes are being taught full-time at the school,” said Outhwaite. “And they work from home on their elective courses. The north gym is now being utilized for these high school students, to give them access to computers, and to their teachers, who are there to help them five days a week. Principal Terry Beazley and vice-principal Erica Hilhorst came up with the idea; they wanted to have it accessible for all students, so that no matter where they lived, and whatever their connectivity, they are able to do their school work.”

The school’s annual Terry Fox fundraising event, which is usually taken in the form of a walk, is also going to look different this year.

“The kids are being encouraged to do their own fundraising online for Terry Fox this year,” said Outhwaite. “There will be no events or assemblies this year.”

A small number of students do continue to be home-schooled, she added, and overall everyone is ‘finding their way’ this year, said Outhwaite. The addition this fall of two fresh new teachers has also boosted enthusiasm in the school, while smaller classes have helped with distancing protocols.

“It’s been good to have our new teachers in our elementary classes,” she said. “Our elementary teachers are really strong. And our class sizes this year are up to just 20, while last year they were up to 26 students in each classroom. That makes it better; it gives us a little more space. Plus we have two resource teachers, one for high school, and one for K-8, and they are both doing an excellent job reaching out to all the kids. And I wanted to say a thank you to the parents, for preparing the kids for the school day. They are showing great perseverance, they are rested, and they are ready for each day. I just want to let people know that things are going good at school, despite COVID.”

HAPPY TO BE TOGETHER AGAIN AT SCHOOL – Mrs. Outhwaite’s happy and energetic Grade 3 gym class was out in the fresh air on Tuesday morning, starting their PE class with fun time on the colourful play structure. The school year is now on a roll, she said, as students came back wonderfully motivated to learn, and pleased to be back together at Killarney School. To share this story and more, visit killarneyguide.ca.

PEELING ON THE SOCCER PITCH – The second part of Mrs. Outhwaite’s physical education (PE) class session over at Killarney School on Tuesday was a lively soccer game for Grade 3, held out on the school field for the youngsters. Lots more fun outdoor PE activities are scheduled to run this year at the school, she said.