Sam Dunn, Loomis, NE

"Education is only a portion of the mission" in this Nebraska school

August 8, 2020 |
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We are asking how COVID-19 is impacting rural communities. Read below for a perspective from Superintendent Sam Dunn of Loomis, NE, about the impact on students as the school year ended without several of the usual in-person experiences. You can share yours here: http://bit.ly/iaartcovid

To get a real representation of what our staff and students are enduring throughout this crisis, one must be in their world. As a senior hearing that all you have put yourself through as a student for the past 13 years won’t end in the traditional way as all seniors at Loomis previously have. Our elementary students are confused and upset at not seeing their friends, not knowing what next school year looks like, and not being able to plan on anything concrete for the summer. Or how about our senior track athlete that won Class D - state track in the discus not knowing if he could possibly have launched the throw of his life and won the All-Gold in May.

Yes, we are doing well in Loomis, but it is not the typical ending of the school year. My heart hurts for the students that will not experience closure on the 2019-20 school year. My soul aches for the staff who have worked tirelessly to build relationships, to master units and prepare our children for NSCAS. We miss our students, and our staff miss other staff members! I hope the scars this emergency closure has caused are repairable. I get it! All schools in the U.S. are going through this type of emotions. But one has to be at a small school to truly understand that missing school days really do affect ALL involved in a very profound fashion.

Loomis Public School is still preparing our students by the best means we can. We are sending out packets, delivering lunches and zoom meeting with students and staff. This is what we do at a small school. We get it done! Education is only a portion of our mission here. When met with a crisis in a small town we gather all resources available in our tiny community and we survive. This is the Loomis way!! I am so proud of how our students have responded to remote learning. Our incredible staff has rallied around each other to provide assistance to other staff members needing help. And we will make it through this crisis.

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