Just a month after starting a one-to-one (1:1) Chromebook pilot program to a select group of freshmen and sophomore classes, Minooka Community High School (MCHS) has now found itself immersed in a schoolwide E-Learning platform opportunity due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Last week Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker, announced that all Illinois K-12 schools will be closed starting Tuesday, March 17th through Monday, March 30th due to concerns over the COVID-19 virus.

During this time, students are encouraged to receive instruction and activities from their teachers through a pilot of the MCHS E-Learning model. Although these next few days are non-attendance days and activities provided by teachers will not be graded, MCHS will follow guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and offer learning opportunities for students.

During this past Wednesday and Thursday, MCHS arranged a two-day pickup schedule for Meals and Laptops for all MCHS students while supplies lasted. The pickup was held at MCHS South Campus between 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. MCHS Technology Department assigned 77 laptops that were checked-out by families for student use, and Quest Food Management Services, Inc. provided over 300 meals for students over the two-day period. The remaining meals were donated to a Grace Bible Church of Shorewood, who in turn, will help their immediate congregation and surrounding community feed children in need.

MCHS will continue to closely monitor recommendations and guidance from the CDC, Illinois Department of Public Health, Grundy County Department of Health, and the Illinois State Board of Education, regarding the coronavirus and will provide updates to teachers, staff, students, and families as soon as there are any significant changes in recommendations for schools.

MCHS has also created a coronavirus (COVID-19) resource page on their website, MCHS.net, with information regarding school updates, prevention tips, and other resources.