How Covid-19 has Affected Our School

 

November 11, 2020

Angie Sant, Amaya Edwards, Lily Winderl, and Josalynn Genereux

Big Sandy High School has experienced large scale change. From a typical school experience to learning behind a screen last spring, and now to our past norm's altered style. With the help of experiencing each of these learning environments and the school board's decisions, we have been allowed to learn in-person. A regular day of the school consisting of passing periods, schedules, classroom setups, and how and where we eat our lunch is different.

In past years the passing period has been only three minutes before we didn't need much more than that because our school is small and it doesn't take much time to get from one end to another. To decrease the congestion in the hallways and disinfect the classrooms, the school has changed the time to five minutes. When asked if this method is working, Mrs. Winderl said, "Yes [and] it allows people to get to class without the rush." To help decrease the spread of Covid-19, we have to wear masks in the hallways and in the classrooms where students are compact. In classes with low enrollment, students can spread out more and still communicate well. On rare occasions, masks may be needed when classes come in contact with other classes.

A few good things have resulted from the need to distance ourselves. One is the schedule change. Our classes are only fifty-seven minutes long now, and the passing period in between is five minutes. Us as students now have more convenience for activities such as getting to classes, going to our lockers, using the bathroom, getting drinks, and the new, more extended lunch hour that gives us more time to eat and relax with our friends.

Last year, junior high and high school students would eat lunch at the cafeteria's elementary school. This year instead of bussing the students to the food, the lunch ladies bring the food to the students. Now we eat at high school in the concessions area. The school bought new tables and moved the old ones to the cardio room, creating enough space for everyone. When asked if she likes this new setup, Mrs. Winderl said, "Yes, it's nice to see the kids in the school and not have to eat their food so fast to get back to the high school. I like that I can pick and choose what I want to eat and not have to leave the building." Others feel the same. Because of the increased number of Covid-19 cases in Chouteau County, the school has also increased the precautions. These include letting the football and volleyball players out earlier to get through the lunch line with less contact from other students and having them eat in separate locations. The football players go and eat in Coach Taylor's classroom. The volleyball players eat in Mrs. Whitmer's classroom. When asked if he thinks it helps to separate the football boys, Christian Winderl said, "I don't know, maybe. We're still exposed to other people in our classes, so I don't think it does much...[so] I don't know if it helps any. I do like getting my lunch earlier, though."

Many classes and classroom setups have been changed. Desks are spread out and rearranged differently. Some studies are unable to social distance, so the students in those classes have to wear masks. A way to take breaks from having to wear masks all day is by occupying the auditorium. There is enough room to spread out with all the seats it has. In some other cases having the ability to go maskless is as simple as a teacher letting only a small number of students turn in an assignment at a time. Mrs. Winderl's classroom has changed in how the desks are and how the students interact with each other. She says, "There's less working together, less sitting all at one table, and there's more having to spread out more one on one, and more of a cleaning routine."

These examples that have been mentioned are only a few of the changes that have been made. Some of the changes were very recently changed. Covid-19 has affected student life tremendously, but it makes it so we can go to school and learn in person.

 
 

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