Students will Follow Hybrid Learning Model
Faculty and staff wore masks as they clapped and welcomed students back at Whittier Tech yesterday. (Courtesy Photo Whittier Tech) 
CAD Drafting Instructor Tristan Belanger, left, and Engineering and Electronics Robotics Vocational Aide Daniel Snowden, clap as they welcome students back to Whittier Tech on Thursday. (Courtesy Photo Whittier Tech) 
Students were welcomed back to campus by faculty and staff on Thursday. (Courtesy Photo Whittier Tech) 
Whittier Tech Masonry Instructor and Construction Cluster Chairperson Paul Boucher, front right, holds a sign to gather masonry and carpentry students in their cohort. (Courtesy Photo Whittier Tech)
HAVERHILL — Superintendent Maureen Lynch is pleased to share that Whittier Tech welcomed students back to campus this week.
The District is following a hybrid learning model, through which approximately 1,150 students are being sorted into two groups– “A” and “B.” Group A will attend school in-person on Tuesday and Thursday and Group B will attend school in-person on Wednesday and Friday, ensuring no more than approximately 50% of the student body is in the facility at any given time. Students will also be placed in separate academic cohorts of approximately 12 students and vocational cohorts of approximately 12 students who they will learn alongside during their respective academic and vocational class weeks.
All students will take part in remote learning on Mondays. Students also had the option to participate in a fully remote model to start the year, and approximately 120 students have decided to do so.
“The Whittier Tech community worked hard to craft a safe plan for our students’ return. We are just so happy that the hard work is paying off and we are seeing our kids again,” Superintendent Lynch said. “The back to school transition has gone exceptionally well, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped us prepare for the 2020-2021 school year, including faculty, staff, students, families, our School Committee, local public health officials and the broader community.”
Freshman students arrived in-person on Wednesday for orientation activities, and Group A arrived in-person on Thursday. Today, Group B will attended classes in-person for the first time since the school closed due to COVID-19 in March.
Students are required to maintain six feet of distance in their academic classrooms and vocational classrooms, labs and shops, and are required to wear face coverings at all times. To learn more about Whittier Tech’s reopening plan, click here.
Students following the hybrid model are utilizing Google Classroom, including Google Meet, to support remote learning days, and follow a schedule where they can participate in both synchronous and non-synchronous learning. For fully remote learners, vocational teachers are utilizing video regularly to teach various aspects of their trades as well as conducting Google Meets from their shop areas.
All students also have i-Pads they use to facilitate remote learning. Each day, teachers will take attendance, classes will say the pledge of allegiance and announcements will be given.
For the latest updates, visit the District’s website here and/or follow the District on Twitter @WhittierTechHS and Facebook @WhittierTech.
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