How has Catlin Gabel School changed since COVID-19

By Hadley Cress 27’

Photo of the tent in the Paddock used to test for COVID-19.

Courtesy of Ken Dubois.

COVID-19 started almost five and a half years ago and has caused changes that still affect us today. Catlin Gabel School (CGS) is not the same and probably never will return to how it was before the pandemic.

The COVID lockdown had a major impact all over the world. It stopped people from interacting with each other and put a pause on everyone's daily routine. At CGS, this caused people to take a step back and look at the ‘normal CGS routine’ and how it operated.

This reevaluation has been the reason for many changes at CGS since COVID-19; when speaking to teachers three topics were mentioned multiple times. First, the change in community engagement, second the change in schedule, and third the change in workload.

Community Engagement

Community engagement continues to be an important part of CGS, however, the actual amount of community engagement the school participates in has vastly changed since the pandemic.

Virginia King, an English teacher at CGS, reflected on the impact of COVID-19. To her, community engagement was deeply embedded into the culture at CGS before the pandemic and oftentimes was baked into the schedule to further CGS’s community engagement. CGS participated in many all-school community engagement activities, like the yearly rummage sale.

The Rummage Sale required a huge time commitment for both the students and the teachers because of the work and organization it required. People in the CGS community would donate different items such as clothing that then would be brought to a large building like the convention center to be given back to the Portland community for those who needed them.

Although the rummage sale stopped just before COVID-19 because of the heavy workload it required and the lack of funds it produced, the reason the rummage sale wasn’t replaced was because of the pandemic.

To Brett Mathes, an English teacher at CGS, the rummage sale was an important community event that meant more than just the money it produced. Mathes stated, “From my point of view, there are a lot of other benefits [to things] than how much money something yields”.

After the rummage sale stopped there were plans to find a new community event to replace it however, these plans were not followed through due to COVID-19 and haven’t been picked up since.

Another aspect of CGS community engagement that did not continue after the pandemic was the hours requirement. Mathes reflected on the hours requirement and how it became a box to check instead of a meaningful way to give back to the community.

Cristy Vo, the current head of community engagement at CGS, said “COVID killed a lot of volunteerism, not just here on campus at our school but across Portland.” To Vo, community engagement is super important and she is working to “rebuild a culture of service.”

Before COVID-19 Oregon was consistently in the top 10 states for most volunteering. Although, the United States as a whole has yet to return to the rates of volunteering before the pandemic Oregon is heading in a positive direction. Before the pandemic, 27.1% of Americans participated in organizational membership, this then dropped to 23.8% in 2021 and has now risen to 24.9% in 2023.

School Schedule

Before the pandemic, CGS had a consistent schedule that ran on a four-day cycle. The classes were shorter and met four times a week. 

Since the pandemic, the schedule at CGS has varied every year, even changing throughout the year. The classes now meet three times a week and are 65 minutes long. This change has caused teachers to lose a night of homework. 

King believes that students are now doing “25 percent less work than you used to” because of the schedule change. Without this extra day of homework, teachers cannot assign as much homework which has caused a major decrease in the writing and reading done in English courses according to King. “We can't read as much and you don't get as much writing practice as you used to get,” said King.

Mathes has also noticed this change, he mentioned that it can be frustrating not being able to assign as many readings as before. However, he also recognized that this lighter workload can be beneficial to students.

Change in Work-Load

Before COVID-19 CGS’s workload was immense and there wasn’t much thought put into the mental toll this took on the students. The main focus was CGS serving as a highly academic school to prepare kids for college. When talking about the workload before the pandemic King stated “I think people sort of realized during that pause, we've been on this treadmill and maybe now it's time to take a step back.”

After COVID-19, administration and teachers started noticing the heavy workload and lack of attention to students' mental health as well as the lack of time for social and family interactions. This led to a lighter workload which in part came from the new schedule which only has the classes meeting 3 times a week instead of 4.

The pandemic had a major impact on student’s mental health and caused a lot of stress. Lessening the workload allowed students to spend more time socializing and regaining that sense of community.

In an interview, King stated, “I think there is more of a focus on student wellbeing.” She went on to talk about the different supports that have been put in place for students. “I think there's a heightened awareness of the importance of having family time and social time,” said King. To her, there has been a trade on how much time is spent on academics to allow students to have a more balanced life.

The changes that COVID-19 brought to CGS continue to shape the school. While some traditions like the rummage sale are gone for good, efforts to rebuild community engagement continue. The evolving workload and shifting schedule show how CGS’s priorities have changed from highly academically focused to a balance of school and student mental health. 

CGS will continue to shift as different problems arise to promote a supportive learning