First-Day Challenges and Perseverance in Distance Learning

Eatonville School District students and teachers were met with multiple challenges on the first day of digital instruction as we launched a new school year in a Distance Learning model. Multiple power outages were noted district-wide due to strong winds, powerful fires created unhealthy smoke, and technology issues raged on. In spite of the variety of challenges, all Eatonville School District students, staff, and parents persevered and overcame these issues.

We spotted parents getting creative and driving their students to school parking lots due to power outages in their homes as they did not allow any obstacle to prevent their children from participating. The district's IT team worked tirelessly to assist with troubleshooting needs. Our teachers are our heroes as they have truly redesigned education and have worked countless hours to implement lessons in a digital fashion that has not been done before.

From parents creating learning corners in their homes to food service workers going the extra mile to provide heating directions on packed grab-and-go meals, everyone pulled together to make the start of this unusual year the best it could be!


Allison Shew
Principal, Elementary Virtual Academy
Columbia Crest A-S.T.E.M. Academy