Issue link: http://fairmont.uberflip.com/i/1388405
PIVOTING TO SUPPORT STUDENTS OVERSEAS While COVID impacted every member of the Fairmont community, it presented an additional layer of challenges for our international students. As most of our international students returned to their home countries in spring 2020, they were faced with a unique circumstance — transitioning to remote learning in time zones which were 14 - 17 hours ahead of ours. So while domestic students were receiving their instruction during regular school hours, the majority of our international students were Zooming in during the evening and early hours of the morning. But in spite of this handicap, our students from abroad continued to perform at extremely high levels and earned admission to many of our nation's top universities, including Boston College, Georgia Institute of Technology, New York University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Southern California. INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES PM REMOTE PROGRAM When the 2020-21 school year opened, it did so with a new and innovative approach for delivering instruction to our international students: a program where students received remote instruction during their daytime hours, and Fairmont teachers proctored class sessions during their evening hours. The "PM Remote" program employed lessons which were recorded at the Prep, so international students received the same content and academic continuity as domestic students. Proctors monitored the sessions and hosted breakout rooms to provide additional support to those who needed it. Because each student's needs are different, flexibility was built into the program. Students who preferred to brave the late hours sat in on the live sessions at the Prep. They also had the opportunity to engage in a combination of live and recorded lessons.