News Archives
E-Learning Presents Opportunities for Connection and Creativity
On Monday, March 16, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Loyola Academy transitioned to e-learning which enables teachers to advance the curriculum of their classes and connect with students daily using virtual meeting tools and other remote technologies. In the short time since its adoption, e-learning has brought out the best in faculty collaboration, flexibility and enthusiasm as well as student creativity and engagement.
Pivoting to a nontraditional means of doing school comes with a new set of instructions and standards. Our faculty and students were prepared for this quick transition to e-learning because flexibility is at the core of Jesuit education and we have sought to develop in our students an intellectual agility always open to a new question.
Despite the physical distance, Honors British Literature courses are analyzing Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Art History students are continuing to meet in small groups; and the Guitar Ensemble is conducting remote rehearsals. And while the halls of Loyola may be temporarily quiet, the Rambler spirit is as loud as ever. The Office of Student Activities, for example, is hosting daily activities for students to compete in virtually via social media like a positivity challenge, trivia contests, dress down themes, recommended reading, virtual talent shows, cooking competitions and more. You can check out some of the fun here.
In a joint email to parents and students, Loyola Academy President Rev. Patrick E. McGrath, SJ, and Principal Charlie Heintz wrote: “The Loyola Academy community is full of reflective and self-aware people who know that ingenuity and adaptability are not simply skills that the marketplace has come to value, but are qualities of people of faith, confident that God is always with them. Seeing our students and teachers working together in Zoom classrooms or on a threaded discussion board shows us that the absence of physical proximity will not slow us down.”
Life at Loyola remains vibrant, diverse and engaging. The closing of Fr. McGrath and Principal Heintz’s email is true: While we're away, we're still LA.
“The kids have been amazing,” reflects Math Teacher Carol Danstrom. “I have had just about one hundred percent of the students show up for class. They are raising their hands virtually and conversing like they normally do in the classroom. I am lucky to teach at Loyola with such wonderful kids!”
Additional Resources for the Loyola Academy Community
Daily Mass & Prayer Resources
Broadcasts of Mass begin at 8:00 a.m. every weekday. A video of each Mass will be available once the Mass has concluded. Visit our Daily Mass & Prayer Resources page for details on daily Mass, as well as other prayer resources including those from Campus Ministry.
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry is working hard to keep us prayerfully engaged during this time by offering some wonderful resources such as virtual Ignatian yoga, live streamed evenings of song and prayer, virtual rosary hours and more. Click here to learn more.
Counseling Support for our Students
Our social workers and members of the Counseling Department are developing ideas for ways Rambler families can find balance at home. First up is LA Self Care Bingo. Each day, pick a different letter, R-A-M-B-L-E-R, and choose an activity to complete in that column.
Loyola Academy
1100 Laramie Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091-1089 | 847-256-1100
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