When it comes to housing, child care, hunger and the wealth gap, COVID-19 has exposed and worsened existing problems on Cape Cod. That was the conclusion of a panel of experts who met in a virtual “State of Cape Cod” session last week. From an economic standpoint, things may not seem too different this summer, but looks can be deceiving, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Wendy Northcross said. Th...

Too Early To Return To The Classroom, They Say ORLEANS — Under drizzly skies last Wednesday, more than two dozen teachers from Monomoy, Nauset and other Lower Cape school districts staged a protest at the Orleans Rotary to express concerns about returning to the classroom during the pandemic. The teachers argue that they’re eager to see their students in person again, but not if doing so puts the school ...

HARWICH – Sometimes working backwards can be a good thing, at least when it comes to creating a school reopening plan in the midst of a global pandemic. According to Superintendent Scott Carpenter, that’s what district educators did in creating the plan for Monomoy Schools, securing its approval from the School Committee on Aug. 6. The plan, Carpenter said, was drafted after looking at similar plans from ot...

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) has launched a new Gills Club app. The app, which can be downloaded for free on the Apple Store and Google Play, features information about different species of sharks, access to ongoing shark research, projects and science activities for shark fans, and a means to connect with the Gills Club Science Team, made up of over 100 female shark researchers worldwide. The ...

Not only will the students at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich have a new building to check out on their first day of school, but they’ll also have a new way of doing pretty much everything, as will students at Nauset Regional High School in Eastham. The new routines are part of the districts’ plans for the reopening of schools, which they must send to the state no later than Aug. 14. The ori...

Parents Given Option Of Continuing Remote Learning   HARWICH – While many school districts are preparing plans for three possibilities – a full return to school, a partial or hybrid return, and the continuation of remote learning – the 47-page draft Monomoy plan only includes a hybrid learning plan and plans to shift back to remote learning if necessary. A full reopening, said Superintendent of Schools Scot...

HARWICH — Legal issues could delay construction of a photovoltaic array on the roof of Monomoy Regional High School. The project is one of four approved for Harwich under round four of the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative’s agreement with the town to expand solar power generation. Liz Argo, Executive Director of CVEC, told selectmen a couple of weeks ago the project was approved about a year and a half a...

NORTH EASTHAM – A surge in COVID-19 numbers on Cape Cod has necessitated another cancellation, this one impacting Nauset Regional High School’s Class of 2020, which had its planned July 28 commencement ceremony called off. In the wake of stories regarding an uptick in new cases following a July 12 party in Chatham that has so far resulted in 13 new COVID-19 cases, Nauset administrators, including Principal Chr...

ORLEANS — At an extraordinary online meeting of the town’s and regional school system’s leadership July 22, Nauset Superintendent Tom Conrad pledged that he and his colleagues will be “good partners and find ways to help each other in terms of saving precious dollars we have coming in from the community.” “We’re anxious to brainstorm with others and find ways to find savings to still serve educational needs ...

CHATHAM – When Abigail Dudley moved from Massachusetts to Oregon six years ago, she knew it was going to be temporary. When it came time to move back, she wanted to look for a job in a small school system, and after doing some research, the only district she applied to was Monomoy. “It just all seemed so exciting, just so much more innovative and kind of like cutting edge from what I would think a teeny little...

HARWICH – As colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Massachusetts, announce continued remote learning for the fall semester, parents in the Monomoy Regional School District are eagerly awaiting plans for the reopening of schools this fall, which Superintendent Dr. Scott Carpenter said at this point still remain unclear. “The priority from the state is getting people back into...

Institution Poised To Adapt To Pandemic Changes WEST BARNSTABLE — It was eerily quiet at the Cape Cod Community College campus on a recent visit. The parking lot was empty, concourses vacant. While summer traditionally is the season of fewer enrollments at the college, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact and will change the way students will be educated. “This is part of life, learning how we na...

CHATHAM — There are many workers on Cape Cod who are ready to return to their jobs, but can’t do so because of the lack of child care. State rules designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 have hobbled preschools, day care centers and summer recreation programs, and those that do open will have very limited enrollment. On Saturday Night, Theresa Malone of Monomoy Community Services learned that their request to...

HARWICH – As a former educator, Dr. Donna Bender has always had a soft spot in her heart for young people, which is why, when she saw signs announcing the homes of seniors from Monomoy Regional High School, she was struck by all that the pandemic had taken from them. She decided to do something to lift their spirits. “I don’t want to sound like a Pollyanna, but I am most happy if I do something for someone oth...

CHATHAM – Because of declining enrollment, there will be only one kindergarten class at Chatham Elementary School next year. The continuing drop in the number of Chatham elementary-age students has also created a disparity between the per-pupil costs at Chatham and Harwich elementary schools, which may require adjustments to the way the Monomoy Regional School District funds its early education program. “Th...

WELLFLEET – Members of the Cape Tech Class of 2020 might have been the last class to graduate from the soon-to-be demolished school building on Pleasant Lake Avenue, but they were the first to hold their graduation at the Wellfleet Drive-In, and while the venue was born of necessity due to the COVID pandemic, the event was one to remember. Graduates and their families rolled into the theater lot on June 4 with...