High School Students Cope with Quarantine Through Creative Construction

When all private schools, including ANC, officially closed this March, Religion teacher Rev. Chris Barber refused to follow the usual path of recording his voice over Google Slides for distance learning classes and instead turned to an old favorite: Minecraft. 

Mr. Barber missed his physical classroom and decided to rebuild it through Minecraft to record his Minecraft avatar lecturing in that space. He said: “I wanted to have some simulation of normalcy. Recording myself walking around the classroom made it possible to have some more variety of expression. I also was able to do something unique to help drum away the monotony of distance learning.” He even recorded one class for sophomores in Minecraft Hogwarts!

His students began to ask if he would share his virtual ANC world and he encouraged them to create their own--which they did, on an incredible scale. A group of 13 students--completely on their own time--meticulously recreated the entire ANC campus on a private Minecraft server. Their build started with collective memory and was later supplemented by photos and school maps supplied by staff. 

The students recreated time-honored ANC traditions in the virtual world--such as morning chapel and Friday announcements--and developed a new event: an Easter Egg hunt complete with fireworks. They even managed to create the new Terry and Eileen Glenn Turf Field before its completion in the real world!

This was a voluntary project which was a way for students to remember their beloved school building and a constructive escape from the reality of a stay-at-home order. 

The team has launched a website (http://ancbuild.ueuo.com/) where people can view photos of the project. For those who play, there is a download of the world file so anyone can run through it and explore it for themselves. Please stop by and see the inspiring work these students have done. 

ANC Minecraft Build Team: 
Benjamin E.– Server Host, Website, Builder, Cofounder 
Lucas S – Lead Architect, Lead Builder, Cofounder 
Evan B – Lead Builder 
Rev. Chris Barber – Maps, Builder 
Builders: Kat S, Brian F, Dante D, Jarvis F, Gresham B, Ian K, Linus O, Leopold K, Tara P, Wyatt S