Francophone School Principal Prepares For Pandemic-Era Re-Opening

ARICHAT - Jacinta Samson-Sullivan says her colleagues at Ecole Beau-Port sometimes accuse her of "wearing rose-coloured glasses," but she is looking at the upcoming academic year with optimism despite the continued presence of COVID-19 and its accompanying social-distancing restrictions in Nova Scotia.

Samson-Sullivan received word in mid-July that Ecole Beau-Port, the only Francophone school in Richmond County and one of only three in Cape Breton, will re-open next month along with all other Nova Scotia public schools. 

While the principal of 14 years acknowledges that the success of mandatory indoor mask policies, classroom realignment, longer recess periods and reduced extracurricular activities will have to be judged on a week-to-week basis, Samson-Sullivan is heartened by what she witnessed in the early stages of the pandemic this past spring.

Following the province-wide shutdown of public schools and the transfer of learning activities to the home, Ecole Beau-Port staffers had to quickly learn how to work with parents and guardians to keep the education process running smoothly.

Samson-Sullivan admitted that not every student adjusted quickly to this scenario, while a number of families struggled with online learning due to poor internet service in some Richmond County communities. However, she pointed out that other families worked diligently to assist Ecole Beau-Port students with their French-based studies, even if the families' first language was English. 

Describing these experiences as "better than a parent-teacher conference," Samson-Sullivan is hopeful that this spirit of optimism will carry her students, teachers and other staff through a back-to-school period like no other. 

"I'm glad I didn't retire before this," she enthused.