Different Schools, Different Life?

How different schools are handling distance learning.

Waterford+High+School

Rachael Scullion

Waterford High School

Katy Scullion

Since Covid, school life has changed dramatically. Last year, when the pandemic broke out, we were all sent home with no idea of what was to come. When school started back up, it was a mess. However, most schools put together a good plan for this next year of learning. I asked high school juniors Trinity Feild (Fitch High School in Groton) and Bryson Anderson (South Western High School in Kentucky) about their experiences in socially distance high school. 

For Waterford High School, schedules are normal. There is an A day B day schedule, with four classes each day. The school day starts at 7:25 and ends 2:10. However, for Fitch students their school day originally starts at 7:45 and ends at 2:00 but now starts at 9:00 and ended at 1:00. The South Western High School has the same five classes every day that they attend. 

Fitch High School
Fitch High School (Rachael Scullion)

For Waterford High School, students and staff have to wear masks and stand at least six feet apart. Teachers are supposed to provide mask breaks for the students where they go out side, stand apart, and take their masks off for five or ten minutes. When they were in-person learning, the students of South Western High School, they had the same rules and regulations for social distancing. When asked how social districting works at Fitch High School, Trinity comments, “it doesn’t ❤️” . She also said that the school doesn’t give mask breaks and students may only take masks off during lunch.

During lunch, students of Waterford High School sit with a seat apart from each other, and there’s also a makeshift second cafeteria in the field house lobby. At Fitch, students will be called from there classrooms to go get lunch and they would get food from a kiosk. At South Western, students eat lunch in their classrooms. 

Many students have struggled with distance learning, and it was no different for Trinity or Bryson. Trinity claims that school has been more difficult during distance learning and says it’s “empty in school, packed on Zoom.” Bryson said he has struggled with online school due to an easier access to games and Netflix. When asked would they change anything about the school, Trinity said she would like less of a workload and Bryson said he wishes he didn’t have to check himself in.