Graphic by Dina Kats
Constantinos Zacharakis
News Reporter
On January 28th, students in Cohort B attended school in person for the first time since last March; Cohort A went to school the following Monday, on February 1st.
Having been learning online for nearly a year, Newton South students were bound to have opinions on the new learning style, whether they have decided to stay at home or not. Junior Hannah Khorshidi is content with her decision to return to school, though she is interested in seeing how the rest of the hybrid year will play out.
“So far, I am happy with it. However, I think that as we continue hyflex and see how administration continues to deal with safety precautions, I will have a more solidified opinion on it,” said Khorshidi.
Junior Brendan Weissel agrees: “Yes, I am happy with the decision I made to go back into school. It’s a great way to see peers, and I’m very glad I chose to do so.”
Other students who decided to continue learning remotely are also satisfied with their decisions. Senior Madeline Loughlin, for example, was happy with her decision to remain at home—the decision that made the most sense for her and her family.
“I’m happy with [my decision]. I’ve been at my house up in New Hampshire for most of this winter. The rest of my family has been remote from work this entire time, so it’s just seemed like the best idea to stay remote from school and be able to be here more regularly and to ski more often,” said Loughlin.
For the hybrid students, many were eager to return to school, citing their focus and motivation as the leading factor in their decision. Learning at home paved the way for many distractions, as the little to no change of scenery made it difficult for some students to focus.
“It was very difficult for me to stay motivated and focused doing fully remote school; I really missed learning in a classroom environment, and I was hoping that I would retain more of the curriculum in the hybrid model,” said Khorshidi.
Class of 2022’s Elias Guermazi also feels that the return to school has made for a more secure learning environment.
“I decided to return to school because online school is extremely limited, and it is hard for me to focus on zoom for long periods of time without getting distracted,” said Guermazi.
Many students among all cohorts feel that Newton South has been very thorough in planning students’ return to school, claiming that the school’s plan made up for the extremely delayed roll-out of hybrid learning.
“Even though it was frustrating that the planning process took so long, I think that Newton South has been very meticulous in creating the hybrid model, which is appreciated and makes me feel safer. I especially like the approach to contact tracing and the stress of not moving seats once entering a classroom,” said Khorshidi.
“From what I have seen and heard, Newton South is doing a good job executing a safe hybrid learning plan. I like the distancing and the sanitizing we do at the beginning and end of every class,” said Guermazi.
However, along with the many positive components of hybrid learning, there are some concerns, including the lack of social locations for students in the building, and unknown vaccination plans.
Weissel voiced his concern about “the lack of social spaces throughout the school and the lack of communication about where students can congregate.” Khorshidi stated that she is “yet to hear anything about vaccinations for staff or students,” which she claims is “a concern [in the] long run if we ever decide to come back to school with full capacity.”
South students have felt that their peers have done an excellent job following the school’s guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With the implementation of hybrid learning, Newton South has begun to shift towards a new normal, allowing students to somewhat return to their pre-pandemic learning habits and interact with classmates in person. Nevertheless, one focus remains above all else: maintaining the safety of all students and staff members in the building.
