Oregon Observer The
Thursday, April 2, 2020 • Vol. 135, No. 40 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1.50
VOTE FOR
JERRY BOLLIG
*Paid for by Bollig for County Board, Ruth Klahn Treasurer
Oregon School District
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COVID-19 response
Settling in Oregon community begins getting used to quarantine JIM FEROLIE
Inside Librarians create at-home activities
Observer editor
Photo submitted
OHS art teacher Michael Derrick has set up his new home office in his basement, complete with an antique desk, typewriter and vintage cameras. “Pulling double teaching duties now as a stay at home dad and online teacher,” he wrote the Observer in an email last week.
Settling in to online teaching SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
While high school seniors will graduate in June and most students will move ahead a grade this fall, the rest of the spring remains a mystery amid the coronavirus pandemic. With all schools closed indefinitely, and staff and students working from home, it’s the start of a new normal. After a week off for a well-timed spring break, Oregon School District teachers spent Monday prepping for virtual instruction to begin through what could be the remainder of the school year. But one positive is they’ve had some time to prepare for the massive change, OSD assistant director of learning and student achievement Jon Tanner told the Observer.
“They have spent many hours during the past two weeks redesigning lessons, learning new tools, and adjusting to the ‘new normal’ so we can provide students with the best possible education, given our limitations,” he wrote in an email Monday, March 30. Still, the change from in-school to at-home learning – with teachers and peers miles away – is significant. “It is a big challenge, since so much of our students’ school experience is hands-on,” Tanner said. To help smooth that transition, the district distributed more than 1,000 Chromebooks and nearly 100 mobile internet access hotspots last month for families without internet access, as the bulk of the assignments will be online. “While we don’t want students staring at a screen for long hours each day, the Internet is obviously a good way to stay connected and provide some instruction,” he said. “We know not everything will go smoothly on day one, but we are planning to get feedback from students, parents, and
staff, then adjust to make improvements.”
Observer begins listing available helpers Page 3 OPD enforces ‘Safer at Home’ order Page 3 Hotels suffer, manufacturers thankful Page 7 quarantine and social distancing to stop the virus’ spread, they prepared us for it to get worse – much worse than the 800,000 cases and nearly 40,000 deaths from COVID-19 as of Tuesday, March 31. The illness, caused by the coronavirus, was declared a pandemic March 11 by the
Turn to Settle/Page 16
Rapid conversion
In the meantime, educators have used the past few weeks to get their home classrooms in order and prepare for virtual teaching. Oregon High School art teacher Michael Derrick’s new workstation is complete with an antique desk from the Randolph’s People’s Telephone Company in Oregon, where his father worked. “It was originally the operator’s desk from the early 1900s,” he wrote the Observer. “Dad took it and refinished it.” Now it serves as the space for Derrick to plan his lessons – not easy for educators like him used to working so hands-on with students and their many projects. “I miss being with my classes where I can help with personalized learning and provide better one-onone help,” he wrote. “We are making do, though.”
Turn to Learning/Page 16
Spring election
County race the only local contested election April 7 Ballot also includes Supreme Court seat, presidential primary KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
For the upcoming spring election, city, town and state officials would prefer you stay home – but if you do, they’d want you to still send your ballot in from there.
The state-wide April 7 election will feature just one contested race for Oregonians, with all other races having one candidate running for them unopposed. Incumbent Jerry Bollig, who serves on both the Dane County Board of Supervisors and the Village of Oregon Board, is running for his county seat against newcomer Todd Kluever. It’s the area’s only
Turn to Election/Page 15
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OSD educators prepared for ‘new normal,’ at least for now
As March came to a close, Wisconsinites and the rest of the United States began accepting the reality that we’ll all stay in our semi-quarantine for several weeks or more because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Oregonians came up with all sorts of creative ways to interact with others and use their extra time together at home. Families drew sidewalk chalk messages. Friends held virtual dinners or drinks using remote technology. People in all sorts of situations looked for ways to help those hit hardest. Businesses looked for ways to adjust their services to meet the needs of an entire population unable to venture out of their homes for anything beyond basic necessities and exercise. And local governments prepared to hold online meetings and deal with an upcoming election. As state and national leaders repeatedly emphasized the importance of
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