Arrows control traffic flow in the Do School classroom. Other safety precautions include plastic barriers between desks and socially distanced gathering areas. Above, Do School classes at the Highlander Accelerator are paused because students have returned to in-school learning. But this space will remain accessible if the need arises.
When schools and workplaces started closing down in March, the Humphrey family’s world was thrown into complete disarray and uncertainty.
Parents Eric and Trisha both had jobs outside the home — she’s a nurse and he works for UPS — that didn’t allow them to work from home. Four of the Omaha couple’s five children were remote learners. Without parents at home, keeping a structured school schedule became a challenge, and coursework slipped.
Do School helped one of their children, 12-year-old Elizabeth, get back on track.
The school is a partnership among Metropolitan Community College and three local schools. From the start, Do School’s goal was to provide technology to families with limited or no internet access at home and tutor support to parents who didn’t have the option of working from home.
“When we go remote, we assume all homes have access, and that isn’t the case,” said Gary Girard, executive director of Continuing Education at Metro. “In some situations (at Do Space), it was the first time they’d logged into class because they didn’t have internet access at home.”
The Do School students participate in synchronous online learning with their schoolmates. Tutors help with technology problems and online coursework. They also engage the students in interactive STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) lessons and other non-screen learning activities.
Do School runs until 4:30 or 5:30 p.m., depending on when parents can pick up their children, and lunch and two snacks are provided.
It’s all at no cost, thanks to private donations.
“The impact of that program in relation to parents has been pretty profound,” Girard said. “We have quite a few parents who have indicated there’s no way they could have survived this without these services.”
The first school to partner with Do School was Westbrook Elementary. Principal Tyler Hottovy had reached out to a variety of nonprofits and other higher education institutions to help struggling families within his elementary school find access to technology and tutors.
A friend suggested that Hottovy contact Metro. Within 12 hours, he had a positive response from the college. “It just morphed from there.”
Do School’s pilot program launched out of Do Space at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Once it was clear that the pilot school was successful, Metro continued looking for more ways to support remote learning. It did so by forming a partnership with two other schools — Howard Kennedy Elementary and King Science and Technology Magnet Center — to open a second Do School location at the college’s North Express in the Highlander Accelerator at 2112 N. 30th St.
“We were really in a desperate place trying to find options for our families,” Hottovy said. “(Metro) stepped up in a difficult time and utilized their strengths and space to really make a difference in the lives of some of our families.”
Trisha Humphrey heard about Do School after reaching out for help and hearing back from a social worker at King, where her daughter is a sixth grader. A review of Elizabeth’s scores from last school year confirmed that she was a smart student who had fallen behind because of remote learning.
Humphrey was told that her daughter needed structure in order to do her best in her schoolwork.
“I broke down in tears because someone could finally see I’m not losing it,” Humphrey said. “She just can’t learn at home in front of an iPad. She needs someone to be in front of her, to help her and know she has someone to go to.”
They toured Do School at the Highlander Accelerator the next day; Elizabeth started the following week. And she loved it — particularly how it remained laid-back but also still offered structure.
“She knows she’s not an at-home learner. She said, ‘I’m not responsible to do this on my own.’ I don’t know that anyone at that age is. She’d rather play with her puppy or watch TV,” Humphrey said. “At Do School, she’s in a classroom with other kids her age who go to her school and has someone there who can answer her questions.”
And Mom loved all the safety precautions in place.
“They made sure it was safe enough that parents and students felt comfortable, and there weren’t 900 other people there. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable having her be in a big group.”
At Do School, there are plexiglass barriers between kids’ desks and socially distanced gathering areas. Masks are required at all times inside the building, and spaces and surfaces are sanitized on a scheduled and as-needed basis. Signage reminds students and staff to wash their hands regularly and directs their walking paths in hallways. There is even a safety officer who makes sure that the school stays in compliance with health directives.
At its height, Do School enrolled about 75 students. Because all three schools have gone to 100% in-school learning, Do School is currently paused, but organizers are ready to open again if the need arises, Girard said.
Trisha Humphrey said her daughter’s grades haven’t rebounded completely, but good progress is being made.
“It was a humongous stress relief,” she said about Do School. “I contemplated quitting my job to help with remote learning, and so did my husband, but in the end, it wasn’t something we could afford. And it wasn’t something that was good for her. Remote school is nothing like being at school. So having the resources ... through this partnership was phenomenal. We can’t thank them enough.”
Our best Omaha staff photos of February 2021

Kearney's Richard Harbols dives in the boys Nebraska state dive competition on Thursday.

Lincoln Southeast's Katerina Hoffman competes in the NSAA state diving championship on Thursday.

North Platte's Jonathan Brouillette is reflected in the swimming pool as he competes in the NSAA boys state diving championship on Thursday.

An ice jam forms on the Platte River west of the Highway 77 bridge near Fremont on Monday. Observers in eastern Nebraska will be looking out for signs of flooding as the weather warms up. “We’re just waiting to see how the snow will melt over the next couple of days,” said hydrologist David Pearson of the National Weather Service office in Valley. “We’ll be watching closely.”

Omaha Skutt's Adam Kruse, left, and Gothenberg's Abe Mendez, right, wrestle during a Class B 138 pound match.

Millard South's Joel Adams celebrates after defeating North Platte's Darian Diaz during the Class A 138 pound championship match.

A few snowflakes fell in Omaha on Wednesday.

Creighton's Greg McDermott congratulates Denzel Mahoney on a made 3-pointer against Villanova.

Gretna's John Weed, facing, and Millard South's Antrell Taylor compete in the first round of the 160 pound, Class A state wrestling tournament in Omaha on Wednesday.

Frost collects on a sheet of ice in a parking lot in South Omaha on Tuesday. Omaha set a record low on Tuesday, dipping to 23 degrees below zero.

PJ Smith, an administrator at Grand Island Northwest, helps set up mats on Tuesday for the state wrestling tournament at the CHI Health Center. The tournament starts today and runs through Saturday. Read more in Sports.

Dr. Michael Howard listens to the heart of Bella, a Boston terrier puppy at Best Care Pet Hospital In Omaha on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Bella was anesthetized before power was cut to the south Omaha neighborhood where they are located because of extreme temperatures in the region. Omaha's low Dr. Howard was prepping to spay Bella by window light before the power did come back on. They had performed one surgery with no power already that morning.

Neymar walks around in a sweater after a power outage at Best Care Pet Hospital at 3030 L Street on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Extreme temperatures forces rolling blackouts in the area.

Sunlight filters through the steam as cars head east on Leavenworth Street towards 16th Street as the low in the area was close to 20 degrees below zero on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.

Steam rises out of the Missouri River around the Interstate 480 bridge as viewed from Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park in Council Bluffs early Tuesday, Feb. 16. Lows in the Omaha metro area were around 23 degrees below zero. The steam caused icy roads and the temporary closure of the bridge.

Owner Gary Wrenn moves catfish filets from the cornmeal dredge to the fryers at Cajun Kitchen on 30th and Maple Streets in Omaha on Monday.

Firefighters work to put out a fire in an apartment building at 10th and William Street in Omaha on Monday.

Omaha's Matt Miller (27) moves behind the net, near Colorado College's Matthew Gleason (15), Brian Hawkinson (29) and Matt Vernon (30) in the Colorado College vs. Omaha hockey game at the Baxter Arena in Omaha on Friday. The Mavericks won the game 7-1.

Erin Gramke gives Sigurd Sorenson his second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the VA Medical Center in Omaha on Thursday. Sorenson, 84, served in the Army.

Rev. Ralph Lassiter sits inside Kohl's Pharmacy during the observation period after his second COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. Rev. Lassiter wants to set a good example for his community by receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and stressing its' safety.

The Bellevue West bench celebrates a three-pointer in the Waukee vs. Bellevue West boys basketball game on Tuesday. Bellevue West won the game 74-60.

Hand-painted bonbons for a Valentine's Day special are flavored with, from left, raspberry, passion fruit, vanilla bean salted caramel and milk chocolate, from Sugar Makery BitterSweet in Council Bluffs.

A Gibson Les Paul is one of more than 70 guitars in the exhibit.

A crane lifts a small plane that had its landing gear collapse while landing at Eppley Airfield on Friday. Two people were on board the plane; neither was injured.

Creighton's Damien Jefferson is called for a foul against Georgetown's Jamorko Pickett at CHI HealthCenter on Wednesday, February 03, 2021.

Avante Dickerson talks to members of the media after he announced he was signing to play football at the University of Oregon at Omaha Westside High School on Wednesday, February 3, 2021.

Rime ice forms on the trees at the Chalco Hills Recreation Area on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.

Two people jog around Prairie Queen Recreation Area as a freezing fog covers the region on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.

Frost hangs onto a fence in Omaha on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.