Aside from a few additions, Aquinas High School on Thursday, March 18, was exactly as students left it.
Four days after San Bernardino County entered the red tier of the state’s reopening plan amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Catholic high school in northern San Bernardino welcomed about 250 students back to campus for in-person learning for the first time in a year.
“It was great to see the kids, and they’re excited, so that’s always a plus,” Principal Chris Barrows said shortly after the 7:45 a.m. bell.
“It’s obviously different and just like everything else through this (pandemic), we’re learning as we go,” Barrows added. “But I think we’re prepared. We’ve done all the groundwork we could to get to this point.”
In anticipation of one day reopening the Sterling Avenue campus to students this school year, Aquinas officials replaced air conditioning filters in classrooms and installed hand sanitizing stations around campus. They also marked one-way paths of travel, added protective barriers to desks and replaced water fountains with water bottle filling stations.
“There definitely are a lot of changes due to restrictions and protocols,” senior Janel Pido said Thursday. “But it definitely feels like school. The environment still feels the same.”
As Aquinas students transitioned to distance learning in spring 2020, Barrows never stopped working from campus.
“It’s odd to be on a school campus without kids,” he said. “Anybody you talk to that’s in education, the reason they do it is the kids. It’s always the kids, the joy they bring you, your interactions with them every day. When you don’t have that every day, you miss them.”
Aquinas leaders started planning a return to campus this summer, before Gov. Gavin Newsom announced all schools would begin the 2020-21 school year remotely.
However unlikely resuming in-person learning appeared to be last year, Barrows said, school officials continued tweaking their plans in the event doing so was possible.
“We were just waiting for an opportunity,” Barrows added.
When coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in San Bernardino County started trending downward in February, Aquinas leaders learned they could welcome students back to campus when the county entered the red tier, which it did Sunday.
Teachers were offered three days of informational sessions and training recently to prepare for the new normal, and on Wednesday, March 17, the school held an orientation for new students wandering the halls for the first time.
“It was like their first day all over again,” Barrows said.
At the moment, Aquinas is allowing groups of students to attend campus two days a week according to the sport they play or the first letter of their last name. About 250 students will be on campus daily.
While the San Bernardino City Unified School District has said distance learning will remain in place through the 2020-21 school year, Aquinas takes direction from the Office of Catholic Schools within the Diocese of San Bernardino, school officials said.
Notre Dame High School in Riverside, another Catholic school under the diocese’s supervision, is about 10 days behind Aquinas, with certain students expected to return to campus on March 29, according to the school’s website.
Roughly 10% of the student population at Aquinas chose to remain on full distance learning, school officials said.
Students who come to campus must complete a health survey and have their temperature checked. Mask wearing is required and there is signage encouraging safe habits.
There are satellite snack bars, Barrows said, and staggered release times to avoid congestion.
“It was nice seeing everyone and getting back into things,” Pido said. Being on campus “is better learning-wise and academic-wise.”
Aquinas begins a two-week Easter break March 29.
Until then, school leaders will see how the return is going before deciding whether to reopen campus further.
“Ideally,” Barrows added, “it would be great for the last month of school to have all kids on campus, at least for seniors to be able to finish out their senior years with all their classmates.”
Up until recently, Pido thought her senior year “was going to be taken away from me.”
“When we found out were were coming back,” she said, “I got super hopeful, super excited.”
On campus for the first time in a year, the 17-year-old found motivation in being back.
“I’m definitely appreciating the little things more,” Pido said. “Something as simple as saying ‘Good morning’ to teachers and them saying it back. Just saying ‘Hi’ to people. It’s super exciting. I’m honestly glad we’re back.”
"time" - Google News
March 19, 2021 at 06:25AM
https://ift.tt/38Z826K
Aquinas High School students return to San Bernardino campus for first time in a year - San Bernardino County Sun
"time" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3f5iuuC
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Aquinas High School students return to San Bernardino campus for first time in a year - San Bernardino County Sun"
Post a Comment