Superintendent Michael Beresford sits in his office. He said CCS is currently devising a plan to reopen school fully for grades 6 to 12 and added that all-virtual students would be able to continue their all-virtual schedule.

According to Superintendent Michael Beresford, Carmel Clay Schools (CCS) may potentially reopen fully for grades 6, although the plan is not yet finished. Other recent developments in CCS include Creekside math teacher Angela Snyder receiving the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), and the CCS board also hosted a math workshop led by middle school math teachers at the March 8 board meeting.

Although the reopening plan is still in the works, Beresford said it will likely begin sometime after spring break, and current circumstances—such as the low number of cases and new social distancing guidelines from the Indiana health department—make such a reopening viable.

“At this point in time, I think we’re in a pretty good spot to come back with our middle school and high school folks every day, just like we’re doing with the elementary school kids,” Beresford said. “Of course, making that change is a big change, so right now we’re in the phase where we’re doing more planning and trying to make sure that we know how that’s going to look.”

Regarding students who are currently all-virtual, Beresford said they could continue their virtual schedule, adding, “There are still kids and staff that have medical concerns and we don’t want them to be compromised, so we’re going to keep the virtual programming for the rest of the year.”

Senior Alia Rumreich, who is currently a hybrid student, said she has some safety concerns about the reopening plan.

“I personally think (reopening fully is) not the safest idea for the high school since the high school has over 5,000 students and staff, and it will be extremely crowded,” Rumreich said. “Although the number of (COVID) cases has lowered in Indiana and in Carmel, I think it’s better to take precautions.”

Additionally, Beresford said the March 3 board meeting involved a review of CCS strategic plan goals, or what he likes to call the “mid-year advance.” He said the three primary categories they talked about were student learning, student and human resources support, and enhanced operations, and some progress they have made within these categories include leveraging technology to enhance education, working toward more diverse and personalized workforce recruitment, and being more environmentally friendly. He added that CCS has increased its number of propane buses in use to reduce harmful emissions, and the district has also received an electric bus through a grant.