COVID-19 has impacted everyone, but not everyone is experiencing the pandemic in the same way. That’s the idea behind Roaring Fork Schools’ roundtable discussion called “Sharing Stories: Life During a Pandemic.” Each event is hosted in English and Spanish, and features students, faculty and parents sharing their own stories of what this time at home has meant for them.
“When the schools shut down because of COVID, what became rapidly apparent is a lot of other staff saw the impact being different based on where they lived or the language they spoke,” said the Roaring Fork School District’s Family Resource Center director Anna Cole.
She cites things like parents’ and faculty members’ jobs—whether they’re still working or if they had salaried positions or not—as sources of disparity when it comes to the hardships brought on by the pandemic.
Students might be feeling the effects too; they might not have reliable internet to complete their homework assignments, or they might be feeling anxiety about whether their family will be able to afford rent. Some Roaring Fork students are now their household’s breadwinner because their part-time job has been deemed essential and their parents are suddenly unemployed.
“It became really clear to our steering committee in this crisis to help our community engage and try to find ways to amplify some of the stories of resilience and creativity and innovation that so many of our students and families and staff have demonstrated in overcoming the vast array of challenges that they experience,” added Cole.
The first virtual roundtable was held two weeks ago, and the final discussion will be hosted online on Wednesday, June 3 at 4:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to join by calling into the panel on the school’s Google video link. Video submissions can also be found on the Roaring Fork School District’s website.
