Sudbury schools prepare for virtual open houses

Sudbury -

As students across the north continue to learn virtually, they will also have the opportunity to attend open houses online.

School principals in Sudbury said Monday while they would love to welcome people in person, virtual events in the past have seen success and they are hoping for similar results this year.

"It’s really important for them to find a home within their school," said Aaron Barry, principal of St. Charles College.

"The open houses, whether they be in person or virtual, they’re looking to relate and they’re looking for programs that resonate with them."

From creating a special website to having staff ready to answer questions live, schools across Sudbury are preparing for a second year of virtual open house events in a way that they hope will capture attention.

Pamela Potvin, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School principal, said just getting an idea of the staff and what their school building looks like are all possible online.

"You get a chance to see our staff and our students, and also really get a sense of what the building looks like," Potvin said.

"We’ve prepared this year a little virtual tour, because a lot of times that’s something that families and students are worried about -- entering a new building and not knowing what the building looks like."

Officials said even though events can’t happen in person this year, the hope is to answer questions and concerns that may come up.

"One of the nice things about what we did last year and what we’ll do again this year is there’s an opportunity for us to connect with students and families in real-time," said Danielle Williamson, Chelmsford Valley District Composite School principal.

"That’s the really important thing about a virtual open house, so that we can answer those questions that come up based on the presentations that they see."

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 has brought, enrolment has increased.

"It’s way up," said Williamson. "We’ve really experienced a lot of growth in the Chelmsford area -- more than I have ever seen in my career, to be honest with you. I think that with a lot of people now able to work from home, we’ve seen people move from down south up into our area."

All but one school board in Sudbury will be hosting virtual open house events. The French public board has opted to provide parents with virtual tours of each school starting Jan. 17.