Given enough time, even a pandemic can start to feel ordinary. Mount Nursing students, faculty, and alumni began to adjust to the stress of working with COVID-19 patients. And while the switch to online courses took some getting used to, it soon became familiar territory for Mount students and faculty.
Just like a physical classroom, professors began inviting guest speakers to enhance their teaching. For example, local artists Rita Leduc and Vernon M. Byron made a virtual visit to Art History Instructor Anna Adler’s course, Fine Art: Theory and Practice. Luduc noted that the fleeting nature of light and shadow are some of her biggest influences. Byron discussed a project of his, Vanishing Points: Architectural Interventions, which used materials like PVC, mylar, and camouflage netting.
Sometimes, the Mount students were the ones making the guest appearances. The college community helped to bring the online classroom to life for the children of Bishop Dunn Memorial School (BDMS) through a variety of exciting storytelling and instructional videos. Students in Theatre for School, taught by Associate Theatre Professor James Phillips, normally perform live for the young students of BDMS. Last semester, the Mount students instead recorded their performances. Working with kindergarten teacher Colleen Middlemiss, the Mount students presented storytelling videos, cooking demos, and instructional videos on topics such as garden work and baton twirling.
Student clubs and organizations continued meeting virtually. For example, the Student Government Association (SGA) had enjoyed mentoring the fifth grade class of Bishop Dunn Memorial School for several months – and they weren’t going to let COVID-19 stop them. In partnership with the college’s Student Activities office, the Mount’s SGA met with the fifth graders online several times to discuss new service projects and make sure the students were doing OK during a difficult time.
Student events made the transition to an online format as well. The Mount community looked forward to several recreational Zoom meetings hosted by the Mount Activities and Planning Board (MAP) throughout the Spring 2020 semester.
Live from the kitchen of their Montgomery, N.Y. home, Brian Moore, director of Purchasing, and his daughters Allison and Emily ’23 (a Mount student) presented “Pizza Tuesday.” The family demonstrated how to make the perfect pizza pie, as well as smaller snack-sized pizza treats using an English muffin as a base.
Other members of the Mount community hosted similar cooking shows during this time, including meatballs and sauce made by Elaine O’Grady ’89, vice president for Students, and her daughter Kayla ’20; fresh baked bread and chicken francese made by Fr. Gregoire Fluet, chaplain and director of Campus Ministry; and penne alla vodka made by Student Government Association Vice President Joe Galasso ’20 and his dad.