The idea of returning back to school full time and with full attendence in the classes starting during the beginining of March has many different thoughts and opinions.
However, with how it has been, all students have been putting in their work with protecting each other and being safe.
“I expected everything to go wrong coming back,” principal Thomas Lietz said, “But largely, people are masking up, people are wiping down desks and chairs, people are washing their hands..I think it has gone incredibly well and I am very pleased about that because I am happy to have kids back.”
All staff and students have gotten used to half capacity and only going to school two days throughout the week and are ready to go back to their normal.
“I think it is a good idea to go back to school full time.” Senior Matthew Gaereminck said, “Covid rates are down and we have to get back to normal. So lets try our best to bring back the regular block scedule and if covid rates go back up, then we all will guaretine then come back to school.”
Students are all getting tired and bored of only seeing half their class, so most students are ready for this change back to “normal”. But with coming back full time it comes with some worries.
“With coming back to school full time, I worry about how much things will change again,” Junior Heaven Hicks said, “like, how would lunch look? Would classes be able to have every seat filled? There is many things us students do not know and that is worrying.”
As the date for returning to in-person learning got closer, students were informed that lots of rules were put in place in order to follow COVID-19 guidelines. Some students support this decision and think it works well.
“I think being back in person is going very well and I’m liking it a lot,” sophomore Sophia LaBrecque said. “Everyone seems to be following directions in the halls.”
Others aren’t so sure if they’re liking how things are running.
“If I had to describe being back in one word, I’d say disappointing,” sophomore Daniel Waterstradt said.
One of the rules put in place is one directional hallways. Students can only walk in one direction – no turning around. Many students aren’t fans of it.
“If I could change anything about how school is running, I’d remove the hallway arrows,” Waterstradt said. “They literally serve no purpose.”
“With the one-way halls, it’s not really going to help much with anything,” sophomore Jenna Zions said. “It’s not like bacteria is also going to follow the one-way halls.”
Others have a problem with the online aspect of the hybrid schedule.
“I firmly believe it is still difficult to for everyone to adjust to online learning,” sophomore Stacy Keehn said. “Many people have had issues with the technology.”
Despite these restrictions, some students are optimistic about school and where we’ll go from here.
“Even though there’s a pandemic, we still managed to make it into school without another major shutdown,” Keehn said. “There will always be a few setbacks, but we are making progress with each passing day.”