MHS Students Begin Summer Learning Through COVID Support Intervention (CSI)
For over 110 years, Milton Hershey School has been the leader in effectively—and safely—educating children and providing opportunities for students to thrive inside and outside of the classroom.
On Monday, July 13, MHS began a summer learning program, COVID Support Intervention (CSI), to help students who need additional support avoid “COVID Slide,” a term being used to describe the summer learning loss students might experience as a result of disruptions to the 2019-20 school year. CSI at MHS puts students back on the right track for the 2020-21 school year.
More than 600 students are currently on campus participating in the Year-Round Experience (YRE) program, where they are engaging in fun, educational activities that include subjects such as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Of those students, over 350 are involved in CSI learning as well.
As a residential school and life-sustaining organization, MHS never closed as a result of COVID-19. Operations were modified, but students continued learning virtually with no interruption. Some remained on campus and continued classes online with the support of their houseparents, while other students returned to their home communities and participated remotely.
“The programming in each division is designed to capture unlearned material from this spring as well as content that will aid students in progressing in their mastery of grade-level content,” William Weber, MHS head of Senior Division, said.
CSI allows some MHS students and teachers to get back to in-person instruction while keeping health and safety a top priority. Additionally, this model is fostering the social, emotional, and academic development of all students at a time when they need the structure and support the most.
“CSI is providing our school with the opportunity to implement and fine tune our mitigation strategies prior to the start of the 2020-21 school year,” Tara Valoczki, MHS Elementary Division Principal, said. “We are taking advantage of having smaller groups of students back on campus to understand what their current needs are.”
Per Pennsylvania state guidelines and MHS safety protocols, students and staff are wearing protective face masks and practicing social distancing. Handwashing and sanitizing routines are also in place to keep everyone safe. Students are grouped by student homes for CSI classes, lunch, and recreation times to reduce co-mingling.
To learn more about this year’s MHS summer experience, visit www.mhskids.org/blog.
Milton Hershey School is carefully following federal and state guidelines, CDC considerations, and MHS-established health and safety protocols to keep our campus a safe, nurturing, and healthy place. Any group photos of unmasked subjects were taken prior to the face coverings mandate.