SMALL TOWN SCHOOL ADAPTS DURING PANDEMIC
West Washington School Corporation in Campbellsburg, IN has been working hard to maintain core values during the COVID-19 pandemic.
West Washington is located in a small farming community and educates students from kindergarten to seniors in high school in the same building. Once the pandemic hit their main priority was to maintain their level of schooling and keep the kids and faculty safe.
“During a crisis where you distance and separation is the biggest obstacle focusing on communication and efforts to maintain a sense of community was paramount,” Superintendent Keith Nance said.
Nance makes it a priority during his day to be a presence in the school for the students and staff. During his morning routine he takes the time to greet students as they walk in the doors and ask them about their families, grades, and extracurriculars. He also writes letters to staff praising them on their dedication to the community and the school corporation.
When the school was first shut down in March of 2020 Nance hosted a weekly Facebook live that worked as a Q&A to keep parents informed on the corporation’s next steps. Since then, there have been virtual days, contact tracing, and safety decisions that have had to be made by administration. This has all compounded to create more work for the West Washington Staff.
“The urgency of issues that arise during the pandemic created a lot of late hours, early hours, and even weekend hours,” Nance said.
West Washington’s nurse Dawn Woods job description has also changed during these trying times. The nurse’s station has drastically transformed and expanded in the past year. There is now a separate location for illness and injuries so there is no cross-contamination. If a student is feeling sick they will go to the COVID wing of the nurses station to be accessed.
Woods spends her days doing a lot of calling home to parents and aiding in the process of contact tracing. “Contact tracing is kind of a big group effort we take and divide and conquer is our big thing,” Woods said.
Through all these new obstacles Nance and Woods work closely together to keep the school in person and operating smoothly. This small community has come together to endure a pandemic and look out for the children.
“I think our families are really understanding and caring, they want us to be in the building and be open,” Woods said.

Superintendent, Keith Nance, supervises West Washington’s high school parking lot early morning before the first bell. As students roll in he ensures they are following rules and driving safety.

Keith Nance awaits the student’s arrival with Athletic Director Darrin Russell. West Washington prides itself as a close community and administrators are stationed at every main entrance to greet students in the morning.

Keith Nance holds open the door as students enter the school building. Masks are required to enter the building, if a student does not have a mask, they can pick one up on their way in.

The first thing Keith Nance does once he gets in his office is writing a letter to a staff member. These letters are a common practice and often contain words of thanks for work done involving students or the community.

A sign in the high school hallway notifies students of COVID-19 safety precautions. Markers are placed on the floor six feet apart in high traffic areas to practice social distancing.

Keith Nance checks a spreadsheet after daily attendance has been submitted. This spreadsheet serves as a record of students placed on quarantine and is used to monitor absent students who may be sick.

Keith Nance stops by the nurse’s station to chat with school nurse Dawn Woods. They go over students who are out sick and talk about upcoming changes in CDC guidelines.

Dawn Woods demonstrates how the temperature check works. These machines are placed in the nurse’s station and allow a temperature check without removing a mask or breaking social distancing.

A kit is used for the necessities Dawn Woods uses in the COVID wing of the nurse’s station. A makeshift nurse’s station across the hall functions to separate injuries from potential COVID-19 cases.

Keith Nance talks to the attendance monitor about calling home to the parents of sick kids to check symptoms. The relationship with parents and the staff is crucial as they work to communicate effectively and keep the school open in person.

At the end of a rainy school day, Keith Nance goes outside to help supervise the busses. Elementary and high school students are released separately to avoid a large crowd getting onto the bus at one time.