The County Chronicle

The online newspaper of Loudoun County High School

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SCA’s Friday challenges bring levity during virtual learning

Liberty Harrison | staff writer

Chloe Beal, freshman, poses here in her ugly holiday sweater, as part of the virtual SCA December ‘Friday Challenges’. Due to distance learning students now take part in SCA events by sharing pictures of their participation through social media.

For the month of December the SCA decided to build their Friday Challenges around a traditional wintertime amusement – wearing tacky holiday sweaters.

Each Friday of December until winter break, students were invited to wear their holiday sweater, and share pictures of it with the SCA  and student body by tagging their twitter and instagram accounts, @lchs_sca and lchssca respectively.

With students out of school during the pandemic the SCA has been using social media to try to bring the school community together. Friday Challenges were but one of many events for students to participate in.

The idea began with the spirit committee listing what spirit events were successful in previous years and then brainstorming new ideas. Erika Maliska, senior and member of the SCA wrote, “We [then] took that list and debated on what we thought would be doable in distance learning and we voted on which we thought were the best!”

Due to distance learning, the SCA has experienced several new obstacles in regards to their “Friday Challenges.”

Maliska wrote about current challenges faced by the SCA. “Student participation is a big one. Students have to take a picture, post it on social media and tag us, or use the portal in Schoology to post pictures.”

The SCA tracks participation rates and the change from counting who participated in person to counting who participated virtually has posed extra obstacles that have seemed to deter some students from participating.

“The student participation definitely is not how it used to be when we were going to school in person,” Maliska wrote. “I believe that a big factor of student participation is actually going to school in your outfit and having all of your friends, classmates, and teachers see.”

Recording participation virtually has also complicated the process of counting for the SCA.

“All I can vouch for are my friends who participated, but forgot to post a picture and tag the SCA on the day of the event,” wrote Maliska. “But it is hard to say how many people participated.”

Not being able to interact in person has also negatively affected other SCA activities.

“It has been difficult to build enthusiasm without using our traditional hype events,” Maliska wrote. “Without having the daily in person interactions in a normal school year we didn’t anticipate increasing school spirit. Rather we just want this to be something fun students can do with their friends should they like to.”

Even with challenges faced by the SCA, they continue to try to provide positive experiences for students.

Regarding December’s Friday Challenges Maliska wrote, “Our goal isn’t to increase holiday spirit but rather to just give people something fun to do during distance learning,”

The challenges provided by the SCA in general have one main goal.

“We hope to bring a little bit of more joy into students’ lives as we are going through a very hard time.” Maliska wrote, “These challenges are supposed to be enjoyable and fun for students.”

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Practicing Through COVID: A look into how athletes are preparing for their upcoming seasons.

Casey Hughes | sports writer

Matt Starchville | sports writer

With this photo feature, seven athletes explain how COVID has changed their practices and caused restrictions. Disclaimer: In compliance with governor’s orders, all school-sponsored activities followed physical distancing and mask requirements, but due to the nature of COVID-19 limiting school activities, the community was invited to submit pictures for the newspaper. Many of these photos occurred on private residential property and therefore may not conform to the regulations binding school-sponsored activities.

Senior track and cross country runner Andrew Abbott: “COVID has a big change in practices, since everyone has to stay distanced and wear a mask at all times. This has made me get used to running alone to work on my mental toughness since I can no longer run in groups and look for motivation from the people I’m running with.” Photo taken during private Nova Athletic Club race at Occoquan Regional Park. Photo courtesy of Andrew Abbott.

 

Senior track athlete Mckenna Giannos competes in the high jump as a junior during the spring track season 2019. Photo courtesy of John Klimavicz. “Practice has definitely been different, our workouts have been changed to accommodate that COVID guidelines, which has definitely made it harder to get back into the swing of things, but being able to see and practice with my teammates again makes it all worth it,” Giannos said.

 

 

Senior forward Kiefer Cummings warms up before a huge playoff game vs Millbrook during the 2019-2020 season .Photo Courtesy of Kiefer Cummings. “Practices have been a lot different because of COVID,” Cummings said. “We are forced to wear a mask and it makes it much more difficult to breathe while practicing. But it is what we have to do in order to stay safe and be able to play our season.”

 

Senior soccer player John Trowbridge plays at Ken Lawrence Park during a private club league game. Photo courtesy of John Trowbridge. “Practice was a lot stricter in how or what we could do,” Trowbridge said. “In the beginning we couldn’t practice at all. Then at first we couldn’t share the balls at practice. But now the restrictions are less than before and we can actually play. COVID affected me biggest with my recruiting process. Because it happened right before my junior season which is where the most recruitment happens.”

 

Sophomore Catcher Braydon Kelman: “COVID has put great emphasis on the players work ethic to make up for the time lost from the reduced practice schedule due to pandemic.” Photo taken at Virginia Sports Complex by team parent. Photo courtesy of Braydon Kelman.

 

Senior wrestler Zach Rios: “COVID has made practices a lot more difficult. It is hard to keep a practice intense at all times when we are wearing masks and washing out hands every ten minutes. Meanwhile, meets are a lot different. We aren’t able to warm up as a team, and we have to stay 6 feet apart at all times, even when we are cheering on our teammates.” Photo taken at Independence High School by a team parent. Photo courtesy of Zach Rios.

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Hong joins counselling team

Olivia Zavadil | Managing Editor

Counselor Heather Hong enjoys her vacation to Spain. Hong is new to the LCHS counselling staff this year.

“My favorite part of counseling is the people and relationships I develop. I’ve cherished all the relationships I have developed thus far!” says counselor Heather Hong. Hong, who previously worked at Rock Ridge High School, is a new addition to the counseling staff this year. A VCU graduate, she has been counseling with LCPS for four years.

“I always knew I wanted to work with students, but I specifically wanted to work at the high school level, because I have a passion for supporting students to prepare for their life after high school,” says Hong. This passion stems from Hong’s own life experiences as a second-generation Korean-American.

“The college process was completely new to my parents and I had to teach myself. Going to college was also a given, rather than a decision or discussion. I feel like it is important to have conversations about post-secondary plans. These days, there are so many options including college, community college, gap-year, work, military, etc.,” she says.

While distance learning is already a difficult adjustment on its own, Hong has an especially unique situation with being new to the school this year. When asked why she made the switch, Hong notes that the transition was a great opportunity to gain more experience in the field and learn from different student bodies.

“So far, it has been great! All the students, families, and staff have been so welcoming. It is a bummer to begin at a new school virtually, but I am excited for when I get to meet everyone in person.” says Hong.

As for the obstacle of connecting with students virtually, she notes, “At first, it was really difficult getting used to relying on Google Hangouts to meet with students face to face. Now that we’ve been in distance learning for several months now, I’ve become used to the whole thing. It is pretty awesome how quickly we adapt and adjust to our environment. I am proud of how far everyone has come with remote learning.”

Hong emphasized the importance of rewarding yourself for hard work. “Work hard, but don’t forget to reward yourself! Personally, I find I work more efficiently when I give myself short breaks or reward my milestones. For example, I’ll read emails or write recommendations letters for an hour or so, then take a quick five-minute break to play with my puppy and cuddle him for a little bit. Doing that both energizes and refreshes me for my next tasks.”

“I’d have to say my favorite moments as a counselor are when I see my students overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Whatever their goals are, being there to support them through the process and watching them cross the finish line is so rewarding.”

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Aiming for 3 pointers, six feet apart

Maggie Sheridan | Editor in Chief

Jenny Allen works on her defense during the home game against Lightridge. This is County’s third game of the season, and the players are slowly getting used to the mask mandate. The girls won this match with a score of 58 to 16.

The girl’s varsity basketball team is among the first major teams to start the season during the pandemic. The team has been very successful throughout previous years and is full of dedicated fans, coaches, and players. They are learning to follow brand new regulations in order to ensure their safety and it is up to them to become used to this new way of playing.

During their offseason, the team practiced outside on the tennis courts while remaining socially distanced. They also worked out in smaller groups instead of one huge group. These groups were known as workout “pods” and were used in case someone were to get infected, so they wouldn’t infect the whole team.

“The big thing I think our girls did really well this offseason was understanding the protocols we had to take during each workout such as; having to wear masks, keep physical distance, and limit and adapt different basketball drills,” said Varsity coach Austin Campbell.

Unfortunately, the team has lost a handful of players, as several chose not to play this season due to the pandemic. “I understand they need to do what’s best for them and their family. What I’m really excited about is the group we have returning this year,” Campbell said.

The number of games has also been shortened. The team went from twenty two games a season to only sixteen. They will play roughly three games a week and fans are not permitted to come and watch.

The players are saddened to know that their supporters will not be able to watch them play in person. “It’s hard to know we won’t have any spectators because it’s my senior year and so this is the last time they will see me play,” senior Tess McMullen said.

Instead, the school put in cameras so that people can still watch the games live as if they were there. However, it is very different from what they are used to. Anyone can watch these games, but they have to pay monthly subscriptions in order to do so.

“This season we will not start the games with a jump ball, and when we are sitting on the bench everyone will have to spread out, we also don’t have locker rooms, so half time will also look different,” junior Jenny Allen said. Players will also be required to wear masks during the entirety of games and practices according to VHSL rules. However, these rules can be subject to change.

Despite these challenges, McMullen is still excited for the upcoming season and what it holds. “Tryouts went really well, and I think we will have a fairly strong team,” McMullen said, “This season will look different because we will be a more athletic team with decent incoming freshmen.”

Allen and McMullen are both returning players on Varsity. “Every player on the team adds something to the team to make us feel like a team and I’m excited to see how we play, and to have a fun season with everyone,” Allen said.

Tryouts were three days this season and cuts will be made right after. “A new thing this year I plan on doing is filming the tryouts, that way I can ensure I didn’t miss anything when evaluating our players,” Campbell said.

Campbell is very proud of his team and the way they are handling this situation. “This group has done a tremendous job of adjusting and adapting to the new changing rules and guidelines we have. They’ve really done a great job of working on their game outside of our practices.”

Although players are still worried about COVID, these rules will help limit their exposure and make it a safer environment to play their sport. “I think our County has laid out a safe and effective plan for us to be able to have a season,” Campbell said, “There will always be some concerns, we just have to all remember we’re in this together and to do our part.”

Allen is hopeful that all of her fellow teammates as well as herself stay healthy and safe during the season. “I really hope that our season will stay in place and we get to have all of our games and activities,” Allen said.

“I’m very excited for this upcoming season. I think the seniors deserve to have this final season and all the girls have put in a tremendous amount of work and sacrifices to make this happen. I think if we continue to take care of the little things and compete, we could have a fun and exciting season,” Campbell said.

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Photo feature: Students social distancing edition

Michaela Scott | editor-in-chief

Over the summer and extended social distance and shelter-at-home mandates, students were forced to isolate with their families, which offered a chance to bond much more than they ever had before the global pandemic struck. Some teens picked up hobbies, like painting, skateboarding, and exercise; others followed safety precautions to travel among their families. Students submitted photos of what they have been doing in their pastime to make up for the things 2020 has restricted.

Junior Riccardo Iasci skates at the Wy’East Mountain Academy in Sandy, Oregon. “I was lucky enough to be able to practice during this time, but we all wore masks and followed COVID-19 guidelines to insure safety the whole time we were in the skating school,” Iasci said.

 

Sophomore John Penberthy and junior Charlotte Penberthy swim with siblings in Arizona during late July. “The highlight of my trip was White water rafting in the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon. Surprisingly, the water was pretty cold, but refreshing from the humid air,” Charlotte said.

 

Sophomores and Juniors, (left to right) Joey Fitzpatrick, Hunter Whitt, Daniel DeLargy, Wilson Kern, Lillian Kern, Maris Kern, Owen Fisher, Payton David, Mason Stuck share their quarantined family vacation in the OBX, North Carolina.

 

Senior Audrey Luhr at her father’s house in Nebraska during the early Fall. “My dad lives in Nebraska, so it was nice traveling a bit over this crazy time. My favorite part of being here was my nature walks around this lake!” said Luhr.

 

Junior Imani Stringfellow stands at Oceanside PIer in Ponto Beach, California. Stringfellow visited her family there for Thanksgiving, making sure to follow strict COVID-19 guidelines. “I was so lucky to visit the beach every day I was here,” said Stringfellow.

 

Junior Isabella Mitchum on a hike in Montana with her sibling. “Over quarantine I visited Montana with my family when they came home from college,” said Mitchum. “It was really great to get out of NOVA for a little.”

 

Junior Stephen Massaqoui celebrates a quarantined birthday with family. “I got to safely celebrate my step sister’s birthday with our cousins during the summertime,” said Massaqoui.

 

Disclaimer: In compliance with governor’s orders, all school-sponsored activities followed physical distancing and mask requirements, but due to the nature of COVID-19 limiting school activities, the community was invited to submit pictures for the newspaper. Many of these photos occurred on private residential property and therefore may not conform to the regulations binding school-sponsored activities.

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SCA emphasizes student participation for holiday challenges

Michaela Scott | editor-in-chief

Sophomore Hailey Kalinowsky’s submission for the SCA Door Decorating Contest. Kalinowsky was the sole finalist for the holiday challenge because her door best reflected the cheery holiday spirit. Photo courtesy of Hailey Kalinowsky

This year the Student Council Association hosted numerous schoolwide contests, including the Holiday Door Decorating Challenge to help kickstart the joyous season. The door decorating event consisted of a contest between photos submitted by students of their festive front door or house entrance.

“The rules of the event were simple,” sophomore SCA member Austin Trinh said. “Starting from the beginning of the month of December until December 14, students interested were to take a picture of their decorated doors and submit them via a Google Form in Schoology. All submissions would then be compiled and one submission would be picked by the school faculty to be the ultimate winner.”

As a representative of SCA, Trinh was given the opportunity of creating the initial Google Form for the holiday door decorating contest. His tasks were to organize each Google Form and photo submitted regarding the challenge. In addition, he assembled the sequence of events the challenge would undergo and what the timeline of the contest would look like.

“My swift decision to volunteer and my organizational suggestions unofficially made me the director of the event,” said Trinh. “Offers like these have definitely come up in the past and they most certainly look intimidating, especially to a first-time SCA member like me, but the experience was rewarding in the sense that it gave me a humble feeling of responsibility, and it was interesting seeing things from an insider’s scope instead.”

Officially, SCA has only hosted the holiday themed challenges twice, however they hope to continue the tradition in the future. The idea to host events during the holidays initially began during the previous school year in the springtime for seniors only; according to the SCA, the events had excellent past success.

“We thought it would be nice to bring the whole student body together, instead of just seniors,” Trinh said. “We thought students would enjoy another holiday door decorating event, but with the winter holidays being the theme.”

Overall, the submissions were low, although a unanimous winner was decided by the staff and was awarded a $15 DoorDash gift card. The faculty voted through an online ballot and analyzed each submission to see which best reflected the festive spirit of the winter holiday season.

“I was so surprised that I had won, you have no idea,” said sophomore Hailey Kalinowsky. “It was a fun sibling bonding experience because my sister, Gianna Kalinowsky, and my brother, Sean Kalinowsky, helped out as well with all the decorating.”

Kalinowsky explained that she participated in the contest using only the decorations stored away from previous years. She expressed how this was more of a fun activity rather than a competitive one because she assumed there would be lots of competition within the other students’ submissions.

“I wasn’t that determined because I thought there would be much better ones out there,” said Kalinowsky. “But, the lights were my favorite because they really illuminated the door.”

Overall, the challenges were a success and a great way to kick off the holiday season for the student body. However, the SCA has reported that participation toward spirit events has been drastically low ever since distance learning has started.

“We have been deliberately working on our advertising to encourage more students, so every spirit submission brings a warm heart to SCA now that we are in some weird times!” Trinh said. “I just wanted to enforce that we need spirit more than ever during this school year!”

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News Brief: SCA holds food drive and pies teachers

Emily Banner | staff writer

Principal Michelle Luttrell is pied after the milestone of 300 cans is reached.

The SCA hosted a canned food drive between December 1 and 14 to give food to Loudoun Hunger Relief. Students brought food to school and donated it in a drop-off box outside. The SCA set up goals to incentivize the student population, all of which were reached. As each milestone was reached, a teacher was pied. The victims included science teacher Kayla Urban, social science teacher James Carr, math teacher Mel Hefty, PE teacher Joel Caruso, and finally at 300 cans, principal Michelle Luttrell was pied. Each pie-ing was filmed and then shared with the school over morning announcements.

“Mr. Prince asked me if I’d volunteer to get a pie in the face for Loudoun Hunger Relief and honestly I didn’t hesitate to say yes,” said Urban. “It’s a great cause and honestly it was a really fun thing to do for the students. I wanted some of them to be in person to experience it, so I brought my advisory class down to my front yard to experience the entire thing live during the homeroom time. My five-year-old and eight-year-old talked about that for weeks. 2020 has been tough. Pies in the face are funny and bring joy. I’d do that for any cause right now to make the students smile.”

In total, LCHS raised 471 food items for Loudoun Hunger Relief.

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Marching Band continues despite pandemic and lack of competitions

Emily Banner | staff writer

Jazz band rehearses with masks during the first half of the school year. Photo courtesy of Anita Kau.

During most years, summer and fall are marked with drumming and music as members of the LCHS Marching Band practice on the field. At the start of this school year, however, most in-person activities were cancelled due to the pandemic. As the year continues, people are trying to return to some semblance of normalcy.

Marching band was unable to meet in the summer and fall due to school guidelines, but as of November, groups have begun to practice again. Pit and drumline began to come into school starting on November 2, and marchers started coming in on November 9. Safety precautions are being taken to prevent coronavirus from spreading among the group.

According to drum major Anita Kau, all musicians must complete a health check form. On arrival, a faculty member takes their temperature, and they are asked to use hand sanitizer upon entry. Social distancing of six feet is enforced at all times.

Weather permitting, marchers always practice outside, using masks and instrument bags. Currently there is no competition being held to work towards, but Kau says they “have our fingers crossed for a possible spring season.”

Marching band met until winter break. However, cases rose after break, and the band put their practices on hold for the time being. “As much as we enjoyed having in-person practice, we felt that it wouldn’t be responsible of us nor would it be safe to continue practice under the current circumstances,” says Kau.

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Hybrid learning delayed, students disappointed

Olivia DeWan | staff writer

Sophomore Melina Wightman works diligently in her online class of physical education. Like most other students, she’s working from home.

Since March, most students in Loudoun County have been attending school through the distance learning model. Students were set to go back to hybrid learning on January 21, but due to the number of rising cases as of mid-December, hybrid is no longer an option.

“I was upset,” sophomore Sydney Schafer said. “Though this time I was kind of expecting it.”

On December 10, the Virginia Department of Health announced that the amount of COVID cases had exceeded the metrics established by the School Board. The metics stated that as long as COVID cases stayed below a certain number, students whose families elected to do so could participate in hybrid learning. Under this plan, most students would attend classes in person two days per week while continuing with asynchronous learning on Mondays and attending classes in a concurrent learning model from home on the other two days of the week.

With the latest metrics, the Loudoun County community returned to one hundred percent distance learning on December 15.

“I was really looking forward to seeing people,” sophomore Kiley Byers said. “I’m an in-person learner so hopefully being back soon will help me to understand my harder level classes.”

Many students had the same mindset.

“The closure really sucked because I wanted to see my friends,” said sophomore Melinna Wightman.

The students have been participating in distance learning for several months and have been social distancing for longer.

The time away from friends and teachers has started to take its toll, and many students were looking forward to going back to school.

“I was looking forward to having some normality back even though it will still be different,” said sophomore student Amelia Spadaccini.

Schafer agrees. “I was looking forward to getting out of the house, really just a change of scenery. I wanted to see my teachers and friends in person even with all the restrictions.”

Though students were upset, they understood why distance learning resumed.

“I wasn’t bothered by the closure,” sophomore Jose Lopez said. “The school board made a good decision that will protect students and their families.”

Many questions are still unanswered. Will the students ever go back?

“I honestly don’t know if we will,” Byers said. “They say we’re going to go back but then something changes. They keep pushing our return back, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they canceled it all together.”

Students are trying to stay positive.

“I hope a vaccine comes out, but I’m trying my best not to get my hopes too high,” Schafer said. “Though if a vaccine does come out will people take it? Would teachers? I have many friends that would like online (distance learning) better.”

Since the interview, two COVID vaccines have been approved, with the first doses going to healthcare workers and the elderly. The vaccine has been approved only for those sixteen years of age or older. The COVID vaccine can help protect you by creating an antibody response in your body without you actually having COVID. The vaccine can prevent you from getting COVID, or if you do end up with it, help you from becoming seriously ill.

Regardless of this new medical advancement, many students still feel they would be safer partaking in distance learning instead of hybrid.

“I wouldn’t go back now,” Spadaccini said. “Now that there’s more cases it’s more likely someone will have COVID and just lie about not having symptoms.”

Byers disagrees.

“As long as we take the necessary precautions I think I’ll be fine.”

Through a time of uncertainty and constant change, students have stuck it out and will continue to do so.

“In the end I think we will go back,” Spadaccini said. “But it’ll be after we graduate because it seems like we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

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School Board decides Coronavirus metrics for return to online learning, sparks discussion on viability of decided metrics

Liberty Harrison | staff writer

November 17, seven days before LCPS’s Thanksgiving break, an emergency school board meeting ruled in a 6 – 3 decision that all hybrid students would be moved to 100 percent distance learning if two separate metrics were both passed for five consecutive business days.

The first metric is passed when the number of new cases per 100,000 residents exceeds 200 during a 14 day period.

The second metric is passed when the positivity rate of coronavirus tests reaches 10 percent. This means that out of all people tested if 10 percent of tests come back positive the metric would be passed.

This image features an image of the LCPS COVID Case Data webpage, containing information on the two metrics decided to indicate return to 100% distance learning by the Loudoun County school board, as of November 17.

As of December 15 the metrics stood at 573.9 cases within the last 14 days and 11.7 percent of test positive within the last 14 days. This means that the metrics have been passed for five consecutive days and children already in hybrid learning were returned to 100 percent distance learning. There is no confirmed effect on plans for introduction of new students to in person learning in January.

This decision had the majority of support with 6 out of 9 members of the school board voting in favor of it. According to a Loudoun Now article, many supporters are in favor of the motion because it allows parents to easily track metrics. This ability would help the school board be clearer about how they are deciding switches to online and hybrid, and may allow parents the ability to prepare for a switch to distance learning from watching the metrics.

Parents are able to see daily updated metrics, monitored by the Virginia Department of Health, on the LCPS COVID Case Data webpage.

There were also dissenters to the motion, who found the metrics used and the plan overall to be unsatisfactory.

Some think the chosen metrics should be completely changed .

John Beatty, the school board member representing Catoctin district, wrote in an email dated November 20, about why he opposed the decided upon metrics and what, in his opinion, would have been better: “They affected the whole district, rather than each school or grade level individually. We need to consider in school Covid cases and transmissions, and we need to do so on a school by school basis.”

Others believe that they should be changed in smaller ways, or supplemented.

“The two metrics are helpful, but wholly inadequate. The most important metric is in-school transmission rate. If we have no transmission in schools, then that likely means the environment in schools is actually safer than outside the school. The CDC agrees with this,” wrote Jeff Morse, school board member representing Dulles district, in an email dated November 20.

School board members have also had dissenting opinions on the plan based on the metrics.

“This plan provides no flexibility, either shutting down or opening back up. We might want to scale back hybrid, or if we are 100 distance learning, we might want to scale it up. And it might take a few days to phase the hybrid students back into the classrooms. The current policy means students could be out of school one day, in the next, and out the next!  We need to fix that,” Morse wrote.

“Taking students out of in-person instruction is very disruptive – that’s why I had supported an alternative to pause bringing new groups of students into school if our numbers get high, but to not automatically take everyone out of hybrid without having a conversation about it first,” wrote Ian Seratokin, school board member representing Blue Ridge district, in an email dated November 20.

“I firmly believe  that we should have enabled the school board to continue to make decisions allowing some high risk/high need students to continue in hybrid while others may have their hybrid scaled back or deleted,” Morse wrote.

The majority of support is behind the use of metrics as the school board decided, even with some finding the metrics used, or subsequent plan, unsatisfactory.

Parents and students can keep updated on where the metrics stand with this link: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/key-measures/pandemic-metrics/school-metrics/

Supporters of the motion including Beth Barts (Leesburg), Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn), and Leslee King (Broad Run District) were contacted for comment but did not reply.

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