Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence and school officials selected Ocean Lakes out of the district to visit and get a first hand view of conditions within schools.

“It was a chance for elected officials to visit the building. They wanted an opportunity to see what school looked like with COVID mitigations and talk to students and staff about their experiences over the year.  OLHS was the high school selected; there was also a middle school and elementary,” said Principal Dr. Claire LeBlanc. 

School Board members and delegates accompanied the Superintendent on a tour around the school visiting the cafeteria, classrooms, and more. 

“They just wanted to see current teaching, what was happening, how we were dealing with things, and wanted to talk to us and ask how we were,” said LeBlanc. 

For many of the officials, this was the first opportunity to experience schools since COVID-19. 

“They wanted to get a feel for how things were and how many kids were in the classrooms; it’s totally different to be told how it’s going than to go in and actually see and feel how things are,” said LeBlanc. “I would say that they were very pleased.”

Pleased, to say the least.

“It is always a pleasure to visit OLHS.  Every time I am there, I come away impressed by the teachers, staff, and students I meet.  It was clear to me during our visit that OLHS has not let this pandemic derail the good work—the learning, the school spirit, the culture—that is and has always been the hallmark of the school.  I know this has been a challenging year, but the Dolphin Way is alive and well, and I am grateful to the leadership of the school and the amazing teachers there for making sure that is true.  I know that the School Board members and the General Assembly delegates who joined us feel the same way,” said Spence.