CBA 3.0: The Next Generation Capital Campaign
Responding to a Changed Educational Landscape
Our priorities based on the current environment are:
- Technology, Facilities and Research $1,000,000
- Faculty and Staff Development $500,000
- Tuition Assistance $1,500,000
- Total: $3,000,000
In addition, the campaign will include a planned giving effort to increase the Endowment Fund by $1 million, further solidifying the school’s stability and future.
By strengthening its financial position in all of these areas, Chesapeake Bay Academy will be able to respond to the immediate needs created by the pandemic, while continuing its exceptional service to the Hampton Roads region for the next 30 years and beyond.
For 30 years, Chesapeake Bay Academy has embraced the challenge of lifting students with learning differences to their highest potential. CBA is a dynamic and diverse school that transforms the lives of young people who thrive under its model of personalized, interactive, and project-based learning.
Responding to a changed educational landscape from the first day of the stay-at-home order necessitated by COVID-19, the faculty of Chesapeake Bay Academy immediately transformed their classrooms. This took our students who are usually involved in hands-on instruction to virtual places of learning. Overnight they moved from using technology in the classroom to learning through technology at home.
Long before the virus changed everyone’s lives, the Board and staff of Chesapeake Bay Academy developed a comprehensive strategy to advance the school in its mission:
To educate students through academic programs individualized to address their learning differences, empowering them with the skills and confidence necessary for success in higher education, careers and life.
Our priorities based on the current environment are:
- Upgrading technology to model leadership in the provision of online special education instruction.
- Addressing faculty needs for additional training and technical support.
- Upgrading our building to provide for blended learning, social distancing and safety for all.
- Ensuring as many children as possible who need a CBA education receive one.
- Filling the gap for students with learning differences when other schools cannot meet their educational needs in this new environment.
“We appreciate the structure and consistency you are providing. Our child is really excited to be part of this virtual learning environment and wakes up every day ready to do their best!”
– Upper School Parent
CBA’s critical needs include
Enhancing Our Technology and Physical Structure
Online learning is critical to the success of our students, whether they work from home, in the classroom, or both. CBA has planned for all possibilities. The CBA 3.0 campaign includes significant resources to upgrade existing hardware and software including laptops for faculty at-home use, new VIBE interactive conferencing boards, telepresence robots and more. As we expand our digital footprint in the delivery of educational services, the next phase is the continued incorporation of Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) to better accommodate the multi-sensory learning needs of our students. Our approach to instructional technology has always been comprehensive, and updating our hardware is vital to the successful delivery of our digital curriculum. In our “new normal,” social distancing will continue to be a necessity and we must adhere to guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for hygiene and facilities maintenance. Providing a safe environment for our students has always been a core value at
CBA and it has never been more important.
Revisioning the Classroom
There are unique and nuanced ways to teach children who learn differently online, and CBA is up to the challenge! In addition to implementing cutting-edge educational technology, we will work to evaluate the efficacy of that technology through the development of a research hub in partnership with EVMS, ODU and other institutions of higher learning. “CERTI” – the Center for Educational Research and Technological Innovation – will explore various combinations of hardware, software, and learning management systems with the goal of generating developmentally appropriate tools to effectively engage virtually with students across the grade 1-12 spectrum. This data will then be shared across the Commonwealth and beyond.
Expanding Tuition Assistance
In addition to their diverse learning styles, the exceptional learners at Chesapeake Bay Academy come from a wide range of socioeconomic, ethnic and racial backgrounds. CBA works in every way possible to serve all students who benefit from the outstanding education we provide. Currently, 65% of students receive some level of tuition assistance. We expect that number to increase in the coming year, as the financial stress on many families increases. CBA’s doors are open to all, and the ability to provide scholarship assistance to a wider group of students means more deserving children will have the opportunity to grow into confident adults and productive citizens. An increase in scholarship dollars means we can serve more students who may be unable to receive an education through larger, more traditional school environments during the pandemic.
CBA 3.0 – The Next Generation Capital Campaign will provide funding to expand the existing technology resources and support instruction for CBA’s very special students in a virtual environment; it will launch the CERTI research program to inform the on-going development of instructional design for LD students in the digital environment; it will significantly increase retention and development of CBA’s talented and much-in-demand faculty; and it will dramatically increase funding for student scholarships.
“Totally impressed with the patience, compassion, and commitment that teachers have demonstrated. From my optic, CBA’s staff/faculty team are extremely professional and have the flexibility to adapt to any challenge they are presented with. Virtual ‘Hi-5 and fist pump’ to all!”
– Upper School Parent
