In a year when COVID-19 cases have steadily swung upwards, Briercrest College and Seminary in Caronport has bucked the trend.

Over the course of the whole academic year, only two students tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning to the campus after the summer and winter breaks. Those students were able to quickly isolate and the rate of community transmission was kept at zero per cent. With a student body of approximately 500 and situated in a sprawling campus, the institution comprised of a high school, college, and seminary was able to take advantage of its rural setting and safely conduct in-person classes all year. Kevin Thiessen, the dean of students at Briercrest explains why it was so important for them to house and teach students on campus.

"Last summer we were able to create an SHA approved plan for in-person learning and a huge driving force behind that was our concern for student mental health. We wanted to be able to address some of the negative effects of isolation on young adults."

Thiessen says students told him they were grateful for the chance to live and study in person, instead of living at home and studying online. Being able to relax and socialize with a small 'family group' gave the students the opportunity to still build relationships and life-long friendships.

"We had family groups of five and those were people that students could interact with in a more 'normal' way. They weren't allowed to mingle between halls so there were restrictions but what that did was increased the intimacy and fellowships between those small groups. Students reported a lot of personal growth this year just because they were surrounded by community."

Thiessen was also surprised by the number of students accessing the college's student counseling services. The school prepared to have an influx of students looking for mental health supports and even offered three free counseling sessions to all students. However, the uptake was smaller than they expected.

"We thought that there would be an increase in mental health needs but it was less busy than we anticipated. That doesn't mean that the year was easy for students. There was still COVID-19 fatigue but again, I think that the in-person learning and the services we offered provided the support that students needed for a successful year."

Smaller class sizes also created a dynamic where students and professors could interact and converse much more easily explains Thiessen. By using a hybrid model of both online and in-person learning also allowed students who may have had to isolate out of an abundance of caution to keep up with the rest of their classmates. Theissen says the college plans on using this model going forward even when things a back to normal.

"We do anticipate that almost all our student body will be fully in-person next year but the things that we learned this year mean that we can continue to provide a hybrid model if necessary."

The college semester recently wrapped up at Briercrest with only high school students left. Thiessen is confident that they will continue to have success preventing transmission, especially with fewer people on campus.