Taking a Closer Look at the Bridgeport High School ICE Packet
By Vincent Pinti on October 06, 2018
SUBITTED TO CONNECT-BRIDGEPORT
Harrison County has become one of many counties in West Virginia and across the country that have decided to implement at home curriculum for students so additional school days do not need tacked on the school year.
Many individuals see this as a compromise to the 180 school day policy where the West Virginia State Board of Education mandates that students go to school on a 180 day calendar. Aiming to shed more make-up days off the school calendar, the school board searched for options.
The new county policy establishes “the ice packets, which are five days of lessons that the teachers will utilize in place of instruction in a classroom on an ice day. Students will get one additional day upon returning to school to complete the assignment. The idea is to still continue having valuable instruction even though the kids are not in school. The teachers did a great job coming up with the ice packets that they believe will be beneficial to the kids. It will be up to the teachers on how to enforce completion, but they will be able to exercise the Lunch to Learn school policy, making kids complete it in lunch for some amount of credit,” said Assistant Principal, Mrs. Renee Mathews.
Mathews continued, “I think the ice packet can be beneficial in some content areas but not all, as it is really difficult for our teachers to plan in October for an ice day that may not occur until January. I think it takes away a little freedom from the teachers because for some classes curriculum would be assigned through Schoology, Livegrades, or email on the snow day when they would be more aware of what they would have been doing that day.”
Some of the kinds of work being assigned will include, “For everybody, we have decided as a school that the last of the five ice-packet days will be devoted to standardized test preparation, specifically geared towards the SAT. I have assignments for the other four days where I give a related topic to what we would have been doing or recently done in class. There will be a little bit of reading and paperwork that can either be completed on a hard copy or through a program on the school-assigned IPADs, Schoology.
“I do not think that the idea of doing activities like this on snow days is new, and I even remember doing similar activities in middle and elementary school. I think it is nice that we do not lose these academic days, as long as the assignments are not too much,” said Biology and Earth Science Teacher, Mrs. Stacey Markley.
Though some teachers are concerned that students would lack the quality of education like that of which they get in school.
“In our media classes, there is a lot of hands-on participation in learning and while we try to incorporate those concepts in the ice-packets, it is a challenge because students are going to have limitations outside the building in terms of technology, human-interaction, and depth,” said Media, Photography, and Journalism teacher, Mr. Brad Bonenberger.
Also many of these classes have great difficulty in assigning work that can be done at home as their classes offer a more interactive experience.
“It is a little bit more difficult, since this really a hands-on class, to have content for the ice packets. In making mine, I really needed to take into account, students not having access to some of the materials that we often use in class. So, I will be having much more of a leniency with these, in terms of material. If the kids only have a paper and pencil than that is what they will use. I am more so looking for a 
showcase of techniques. What the students get out of doing these Ice Packets is the same with each of my assignments, if they work at it, in art, additional practice always helps,” according to Art Teacher, Ms. Courtney Rankin.
showcase of techniques. What the students get out of doing these Ice Packets is the same with each of my assignments, if they work at it, in art, additional practice always helps,” according to Art Teacher, Ms. Courtney Rankin.
Students have varying views on having to do said activities, “I like them because we will not have to make up any school days, it makes it easier. It is a great idea and we should continue to do them every year,” said BHS freshman, Isaiah Kintz
“I think they allow students not to make up days during June. It keeps us out of trouble on snow days. I think it helps build responsibility,” said BHS freshman, Randy Keener.
While many seniors have more negative views, “It is not really fair for seniors because for us, saving the days at the end of the year by doing these Ice Packets really does not make much of a difference for us.” said Isabella Bowen.
The debate ensues as a wrench is thrown at the education system, but a blizzard is coming.
Editor’s Note:Vincent Pinti is a student in Mr. Brad Bonnenberger’s journalism class. These stories are submitted to, and not assigned by, Connect-Bridgeport for publication. Photos by Randy Keener,
