“Winter School” is a program that has a lot of history here in Clark County. Original designed over 30 years ago as a weeklong series of classes for local agriculturalist to attend annually, Winter School has adapted during this time to keep up with clientele’s lifestyle changes. Amid the Corona-Virus pandemic in the winter of 2021 it was time again for the Clark County Winter School program to adapt to the times and continue as a staple for the county’s agriculture community. With an in-person meeting of this size out of the question, we had to think outside the box of a way to keep this program alive. Thankfully, with Zoom technology we were able to host the three-night program virtually and achieve raving reviews by the participants.

                We were able to maintain consistent participant numbers from in-person meetings in recent years past (approximately 60-80 people each night). In addition to these consistent numbers, we saw a large increase in participation from clientele in other counties, this is a feat that likely would not have been possible with an in-person meeting due to increased travel across county lines. It will be interesting to see what the “new” normal will look like as the pandemic exits our lives, but I think it is safe to say that a virtual option for meetings and classes will be here to stay.