The County Chronicle

The online newspaper of Loudoun County High School

Mar
23

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Thermal Scanners Ensure Safety of Students and Staff

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Maggie Sheridan | Editor in Chief

Counselor Dan Croyle watches as students pass by the new thermal scanner at the beginning of the day in order to enter the gym. The scanner accurately records their temperature as they do so. Photos by Valerie Egger.

 

Recently, LCPS has installed thermal scanners at every school in order to increase the safety of students and staff as they transition to the Hybrid learning model. They are used to rapidly monitor student’s temperatures and ensure no one has a fever. There is one per school located at specific main entrances.

“Our school’s thermal scanner is pointed towards the athletic entrance and it’s capability allows it to come in contact with around forty scans per second,” School Security Officer Jessica Harden said, “If someone has a fever, the other camera will take a picture and that information is emailed to a designated group of people who will track down that individual, bring them to the care room, and reassess their temperature.”

Every school had the option to decide where to place their particular scanner. Some schools put it in the front office or some at different entrance points. “Since our school’s layout is different from all the others, it was very helpful to be able to decide exactly where to put it and pick a place most convenient,” Principal Michelle Luttrell said.

Because the scanner is located at B7, it is mostly used for those students who ride the bus to school. Students that drive are required to use the other entrances in order to avoid overcrowding and will have their temperature checked with the hand-held scanners. “It just makes the most sense to put the scanner where we have the highest volume of traffic,” Luttrell said.

In order for the scanner to efficiently scan each person’s temperature, they cannot be wearing certain articles of clothing near it such as hats, hoods, and even glasses. According to Luttrell, if there is any kind of obstruction, it cannot get any kind of accurate read, so she must ask students to adhere to these rules.

The Department for Digital Innovation is in charge of the scanners and is the group responsible for their installation within the country. The administrators, school nurses, and safety and security officers are responsible for overseeing the specific scanners within each school.

“The efficiency with which we can get students into the building will greatly improve due to the scanner,” Luttrell said, “Right now we are using hand-held scanners in order to read temperatures, and those would slow as down tremendously due to the number of students we have. It is also incredibly accurate compared to the hand-held ones, which can differ based on location.”

Now that students are coming back to school for Hybrid learning, the scanners will be very useful in ensuring the safety of students and staff. When the system detects a temperature of 100.4 or over, it alerts schools administrators via email.

According to Harden, so far the scanners have taken over a couple thousand reads at schools where students are already back and only about one or two students have had a temperature of 100.4 or over.

Teachers are not required to use the entrance with a scanner in order to enter the school; instead they will be required to do the COVID scanner and check themselves before they come to school if they feel like they are sick or have a fever, staying home if needed.

The scanners are a significant change for schools, but students and staff are slowly getting used to it and recognize its importance in helping students. “It’s a nice mitigation device to help us get you guys in schools quicker so that we can get the school day started on time,” Luttrell said.

The school is hoping to possibly incorporate the scanner as much as possible and use it during athletic events in the future as well as before- and after-school activities. “We are very limited to the number of people that can come to these events, so maybe they can explore using it in the future,” Luttrell said.

Mar
22

By

Procedures for vaccinating the community 

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Liberty Harrison | Staff Writer

A bright sign alerts drivers to the vaccination site on the road near the Brambleton Middle School vaccination POD. Photo by Valerie Egger.

As several coronavirus vaccines were approved by the FDA for emergency use authorization at the end of December of last year they began being distributed throughout the country. In Loudoun County to help with this process, special systems were set up, both for the general public and for Loudoun County School staff in particular.

With pressure to reopen schools and teachers desiring vaccines before returning to the classroom, a main goal for the county was to quickly and effectively distribute vaccines to Loudoun’s teachers. To meet that goal, a building staffed with medical professionals and equipment was set up to administer vaccines to LCPS staff members. Located at Brambleton Middle School, this building is referred to as the POD and was created as a collaboration between the Loudoun County Health Department and Loudoun County schools. There have been several other locations around Loudoun set up to administer shots to other priority populations as well, such as in Dulles Town Center, which as of March was also serving the LCPS population.

Jamie Klucken, a clinical pharmacist who volunteers with the Loudoun Medical Reserve Corps, run by the Loudoun County Health Department, recounts her experiences administering shots. Dr. Klucken works as a Safety Evaluator for the FDA. Any views expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of the FDA.

Klucken has worked both preparing and administering the Moderna and Pfizer coronavirus vaccines, first in a warehouse in Sterling, and now out of what used to be a Nordstroms store at the Dulles Town Center, since January.

According to Klucken, the first step to administering a vaccine is to take it out of storage, and then reconstitute it, if necessary (the Pfizer vaccine requires reconstitution, the Moderna vaccine does not). Reconstituting a vaccine refers to the process of adding a diluent to the vaccine to create the proper mixture needed for it to work properly.

“There are different types or requirements with the storage,” says Klucken. She described the Pfizer vaccine, which must be stored in extremely low temperatures and is unable to be used directly out of the freezer, “We have to set out the Pfizer vaccine and let it thaw. Then we have to reconstitute it, meaning we have to add saline to it. We draw up the saline, add it to the Pfizer vaccine, and then we mix it up carefully.”

After it is prepared individual doses are drawn up from the vial, up to six doses per vial of the Pfizer vaccine and ten doses of the Moderna vaccine, then it is taken to the vaccinators themselves.

Unlike many more traditional the coronavirus vaccines need certain preparation times and have certain expiration times once removed from cold storage and/or reconstituted, so the medical staff also have to plan ahead to have the proper amount of vaccines ready.

“We have a number of people coming in,” Klucken said. “We are currently vaccinating 4,000 eligible people per day at our location [Dulles Town Center], and so when we are planning we have to determine how many people are coming through and whether this is their first dose or second dose. We have to make sure we have sufficient vaccines on hand for the second dose, whether they received Pfizer or Moderna. This, and our current supply, will determine whether people scheduled for an appointment that day will receive one vaccine over another.”

After the vaccines are prepared and proper numbers are provided to each vaccination station, a screening process is done with all patients.

Patients are also confirmed to meet the requirements for the priority groups, 1a, 1b, and 1c advised by the CDC, that they were put in when scheduling their shot. The 1a grouping includes health care personnel and residents of long term care facilities. Group 1b includes people 65 or older, frontline essential workers, which includes teachers, people 16 – 64 with underlying medical conditions, and people living in correctional facilities, homeless, shelters, and migrant labor camps; group 1c includes all other essential workers.

Then the required dosage is drawn into the syringe: for the Moderna, 0.5 mL are needed, and for the Pfizer 0.3 mL are needed. Then the arm is cleaned and the vaccine is injected into the deltoid muscle.

“As we are preparing to administer the vaccine, we are sharing information about what to expect after the injection and when to follow up,” Klucken said. “We are also screening for risk factors for allergic reactions.”

Common side effects of the vaccine, especially with the second dose, which often elicits a stronger response from the body, includes fatigue, headache, fever and body aches.

“Usually people who have reactions, other than an allergic reaction, will have mild flu-like symptoms. This is pretty common after a vaccine because your immune system is reacting to the vaccine: your body is starting to respond to the antigen (the spike protein) and make antibodies,”Klucken said. “That’s pretty normal for some people to have symptoms after any sort of vaccine. I always say that means it’s probably working and doing its thing.”

For the Moderna vaccine patients are asked to come back in 28 days and for the Pfizer they are asked to come back in 21 days.

After the injections, their lot number is written down on their card and put into a log system, so that if anything goes wrong with a certain batch of the vaccine the patient is able to have a record of the vaccine they got.

After the injection the patients are directed to wait at least 15 minutes in the POD to monitor for signs of allergic reaction, as the vaccine has been known sometimes to cause severe allergic reactions in a small number of those receiving it – 2.10 % according to a study conducted by scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“Luckily we have not seen that [allergic reactions] be a big problem with these vaccines but just to err on the side of caution we have everyone wait,” Klucken said.

Feb
15

By

Football continues preparing for upcoming season

Category: Sports Tags: ,

The Loudoun County football team practices last year during a regular football season. Now the Captains, they have been practicing through COVID protocols to play an abbreviated season just like last year. Photo courtesy of Tariq Sims.

By: Matt Starchville Staff Writer

Practicing during this pandemic has not been an easy task, but with the precautions put in place by the school board and the Virginia High School League, athletes have been able to practice. The football team started their gatherings over the summer and has been taking certain steps to ensure the safety of the players while still preparing for the season.

“When we first started practicing again in mid-July, we had to temperature check when everyone arrived and they had to answer a series of questions about if they have any symptoms,” Coach Matt Reidenbaugh said. “Once they are clear they have to wash their hands in the bathroom which has a limit on how many people are allowed in there. Then when they did that, they were allowed to go on the field, but they have to wear a mask.”

Practices and workouts have definitely changed since last year. Last year, athletes could practice with masks and practice as a full team. The restrictions started over the summer and have increased as the COVID-19 numbers rose.

“Our players have to bring their own water and have to stay 10 feet apart for social distancing,” Reidenbaugh said. “In the beginning we weren’t allowed to have any equipment, so no footballs. We also weren’t allowed to lift at the start. As we went through the weeks our players were to bring one piece of equipment from home like a football or dumbbell.”

Weightlifting is a big part of the offseason of high school football, especially this year. The weight room is where the players get stronger. This year the format and rules were different but that didn’t change the mentality of the team. This year, athletes are not allowed to work out with a partner, so they can’t have a spotter which is really important with the player’s safety.

“When we are in the weight room anytime a player touches a weight or a bar, a coach has to go over to them and spray and wipe down the bar before the next person can use it,” Reidenbaugh said.

The Loudoun County football team has overcome challenges, adjusting to the rules so that they can practice and get ready for the season.

“Probably the biggest challenge for us was they wanted us to stay in pods of 10 people while we worked out and practiced,” Reidenbaugh said. “We broke up our guys into groups based on position so the wide receivers were a pod, the running backs were a pod, and the defensive and offensive lines were a pod. This wasn’t too bad because all the positions usually practiced together anyway.”

Masks were another challenge the players faced. “Since they were moving around all the time and breathing heavily it was sometimes hard to breathe,” Reidenbaugh said.

“The players all had good attitudes towards these rules because they were willing to comply with any rule if it meant that they could practice and eventually play the game they love,” Reidenbaugh said.

The biggest element of this COVID season that high school sports has to face is the constant change in plans and regulations whether it’s for the season or restrictions for practices or weightlifting.

“For us it is the weekly changes of the protocols and the expectations for me as the head coach,” Reidenbaugh said. “My job is to organize everything and plan everything and make sure that our players and coaches are prepared, but when everything is changing it’s really hard to do that because the rules could change next week or even the next day.”

With the rules changing often the communication between the Virginia High School League and the schools has to be clear, and that has been improving over the course of the pandemic.

“I think that it has definitely gotten better since the beginning,” Reidenbaugh said. “In the beginning it was a huge challenge for [VHSL] because it is obviously new to all of us. Communication was definitely the biggest challenge in the beginning with keeping people in the loop about what is going on. Since they have done a great job keeping us safe and informing the coaches, players, and parents.”

The pandemic has shortened football’s season, which just intensifies every game like no other season has done before.

“For our team it is a huge point of emphasis and again we just try to take it one game at a time,” Reidenbaugh said. “The beauty of it, though, is everyone plays the same schedule as us.” This year, there are seven teams and six games. “So everyone plays everyone, which means we can’t lose as many games and each game will be under a microscope,” Reidenbaugh said. “My message to the team has been that we know that if we want to be the best, we have to beat the best and we play Broad Run first, who is a really good football team.”

Feb
13

By

News brief: PSAT continues in person despite pandemic

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Emily Banner | staff writer

While many elements of student life have moved to distance learning during the current school year, the PSAT must be administered in person, per College Board rules, so no online alternative was possible. The PSAT and SAT were administered this year like every other, with new precautions taken in order to protect students.

The PSAT was administered in the school’s auxiliary gym, where desks were separated by eight feet. Juniors were able to take the PSAT on October 14 and 29. About 100 students attended each day. About 140 sophomores attended on January 26, where two large classrooms were also opened up for testing. Desks were separated by a minimum of six feet.

“All recommended COVID mitigation guidelines were followed,” said testing coordinator Kristina Taylor. “Students and staff were required to wear a face covering (cloth or disposable) at all times.”

Feb
12

By

Captains claim Region 4c championship amidst pandemic

Category: Sports Tags: ,

Casey Hughes | sports writer

Loudoun County Girls track team celebrates capturing Region Runner up at Fauquier High School February 9. Photo credit: Head Coach Courtney Campbell.

The Loudoun County indoor track team defeated seven high schools, Heritage, Fauquier, Dominion, Kettle Run, John Handley, Culpeper County, and Liberty, with a combined score of 97, to claim the Region 4c championship on February 9. Of those points, throwers and jumpers earned 20, sprinters earned 37, and distance runners earned 40 to claim the Region 4c championship this past Tuesday. The girls also competed hard and earned district runner up on February 9.

“This was a really complete team,” head coach Courtney Campbell said. “Some years you are good in one area but this year we had point scores in all the events.”

Riding on their undefeated District competition record, the Captains were just glad to have the season come together, seeing how there were many outside forces such as a worldwide pandemic acting against their season.

“It was great just being able to compete and have a season in all of this mess and then get to a championship on top of it was fantastic,” Campbell said. “In addition to competing well yesterday, they are just a great group of kids and coaches, which made it even more worthwhile.”

Even though this was a very rushed, unconventional season, the Captains pushed through despite not actually running any indoor meets. They pushed through straight to the end and came out with the region championship. The Captain’s coach acknowledged just how hard the season was after their Region’s win.

“The biggest challenge was just the messed up nature of the season,” Campbell said. “Getting used to doing online COVID forms, temp checks, and kids competing in masks. The first few weeks took quite a lot of getting used to.”

Loudoun County Boys Track team celebrates their Region 4c win at Fauquier High School on February 9. Photo Credit: Head Coach Courtney Campbell.

Jan
15

By

Hybrid Guide: how classes will continue as students switch to hybrid learning

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Alexis Shugars | Staff Writer
Liberty Harrison | Staff Writer

Classroom desks are placed six feet apart as Loudoun County Public Schools prepare for hybrid learning. Furniture has been moved out of the classrooms to make extra space for social distancing.

As students return to the building for in person instruction, new guidelines have been put in place to ensure proper social distancing can be maintained within the school.

According to Wayde Byard, Public Information Officer, each school will feature the same setup, with Loudoun County Public Schools staff directed to design classroom layouts for the second semester with the center of each desk spaced at least six feet apart from the center of adjacent desks.

One measure taken to allow for the regulation of six to eight feet of separation between students and staff, is the removal of excess furniture from classrooms in use. During this time when our custodial staff has increased responsibility for cleaning our school, this measure has the added benefit of reducing the furniture our custodial teams have to clean.

Loudoun County High School has a particular need for this because of its unique layout, due to it being Loudoun County’s oldest school, opening in 1954.

Desks and chairs are stacked in the hallway in preparation to stage classrooms to meet the appropriate distancing regulations for hybrid learning.

“Our building is beautiful,” said Principal Michelle Luttrell . “I love our school, and it has a lot of character, but because it’s a school that’s been renovated over time we have additions with different layouts and floor plans.”

According to Luttrell, our classrooms are not uniform in size, so some classrooms are able to support nine students with social distancing protocols, while others can support 21.

“So any given block, we have such a variance in the number of kids who are in each classroom receiving instruction because our rooms are completely different sizes,” Luttrell wrote.

To ensure social distancing in hallways, new precautions have also been put in place.

According to Byard, markers have been placed in hallways and common areas indicating the space necessary to maintain physical distancing. Staggered dismissals have also been implemented to reduce traffic in the hallways.

As of November 23, 831 Loudoun County High School students signed up for hybrid learning as opposed to the normal 1,505 students.

Hybrid students will attend school one A day per week and one B day per week. They will spend the remaining A and B days learning at home, allowing for more manageable social distancing inside of the classroom

Speaking on the reduced numbers, Luttrell said, “In terms of space, that’s going to open up a lot of space and help us manage the movement of 415 students. So even though the hallways are oddly shaped and not the same width from one part of the building to the next, I think that with the adults being out and about, and safety and security and admin being out and giving students reminders about maintaining safe distancing, I think our students want to do the right thing.”

According to Luttrell, Loudoun County Public Schools have also been provided with new filtration systems by the county, to filter the air as mitigation for COVID-19.

One effect of the implementation of new guidelines is new demands on the budgets of Loudoun County Public Schools.

Anticipating this need, the Virginia state government allocated funding specifically for COVID-19 pandemic-related school costs. According to Byard, on October 8, 2020, the Governor awarded Federal Coronavirus Relief Funds under the CARES Act to school divisions. Loudoun County Public Schools was awarded $14,864,308 as a result.

Specific COVID-19 related budget requirements include things like the filtration systems as well as the enhanced cleaning protocols provided to custodians. These cleaning protocols detail changes to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“The primary changes involve cleaning all of the common area high touch surfaces within the school on a two-hour schedule during the school day and a detailed cleaning of all the classroom high touch surfaces each evening,” wrote Byard.

Byard stated that teachers had no requirement to perform additional classroom cleaning, but were offered the opportunity to volunteer for additional training which would enable them to use cleaning chemicals provided for spot cleaning classrooms throughout the day, as needed and when students were absent from the area.

“We are working very hard to keep the schools clean while also minimizing the chemical exposure to our students and staff in the schools,” Byard wrote. ”LCPS is continuing to use the same hospital grade cleaning chemicals that we have been using for the past six years since we know that they are safe and effective in fighting the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.”

According to Byard, all students will be required to wear face masks during the school day, except for when eating. “Physically distanced individual desks have been placed in some cafeterias, while others have tables with marked seating to keep students physically distanced.”

The excess furniture removed from the classrooms includes desks, bookshelves, and cabinets. This furniture is being stored in either unused school classrooms or in leased shipping containers stationed on the school property. This action, specifically the leasing of storage containers, creates another budget mandate. As stated by Byard, the funding to pay for the storage containers is coming from the Loudoun County Public Schools operating budget as well as the federal CARES Act funding provided to help cover these sorts of additional expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In past years, there has been a very high demand for more bus drivers. With social distancing being taken into account, this demand is being raised.

“The bus drivers are likely going to have to make two bus runs. It’s very possible that in one neighborhood they’re going to have to come through twice because they have to socially distance students on buses,” said Luttrell. As a result, when students arrive at school and pickup time will be affected.

Each school will be provided with a Care Room, which is separate from the Health Office. “The Care Room will be used only for students and staff exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19,” Byard wrote. “The Care Room will be staffed by a trained, full-time attendant. Parents/guardians will be requested to come to school to pick up their student if they are taken to the Care Room.”

Although students who chose hybrid learning will still be using Google Meet to attend classes with students at home, Luttrell believes that there are many benefits to in person learning. One of these benefits is the connection between students and teachers that simply can’t be obtained through a computer screen. “I think there’s some level of grounding and just peace of mind that it’s going to bring to students who are coming into the school,” Luttrell said.

Unlike students, teachers don’t have the same options as students. “There is no option for teachers to work virtually unless they are quarantined or have a medical condition that precludes them from coming into the building,” wrote Byard. “Teachers who are quarantined or who have a medical accommodation may deliver concurrent instruction from a remote location. When this happens, LCPS will provide a classroom proctor who will monitor behavior, assist with technology, and assist with instruction.”

Although some still express their concerns about students returning to in person learning, school board members continue to express their thoughts that it will all end up working out. “I think we’re going to be okay, moving 415 students through this school every day,” said. Luttrell.

At the time of publication, Loudoun County Public Schools remain in 100% distance learning, as the metrics exceeded the positivity rate of 10% within Loudoun County.

Jan
15

By

School Nurse, District Prepare for Hybrid Learning

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Alexis Shugars, Staff Writer

The new care room at Loudon County High School is prepared for when students resume with hybrid learning. The room’s purpose, to assess students who have reported symptoms of COVID-19.

When and how students return to school is currently a large and controversial topic. Often it’s heard what the parents and students’ thoughts are on this topic, but how would it feel being the school nurse?

Shannon Nerantzis, nurse at Loudoun County High School, is making sure to follow all mitigation policies to accommodate for the small number of students who have been participating in hybrid learning since October 13, and students coming into the building for activities.

A new “Care Room” at LCHS was made with the purpose of assessing students who reported having possible symptoms of COVID-19. There are two care rooms located in the building, the primary one being next to the Health Office.

“I am in the Health office during the day until a student with symptoms is brought to the care room,” wrote Nerantzis. “There is a Care Room Monitor (CRM) who is an agency employee who will check students who are brought into the Care Room.” Loudoun County High School is yet to have a Care Room Monitor because so few students have been in the building. The school will have one once in person classes continue.

To ensure social distancing, only three students and the Care Room Monitor will be able to be in the room at the same time.

In the case of a student contracting COVID-19, contact tracing must be done in order to see who would be the student’s close contacts. According to Nerantzis, a close contact is anyone who is less than six feet away from said student for longer than fifteen minutes, in a twenty-four hour period from them contracting COVID-19. ”All close contacts must self-quarantine for 14 days even if they have a negative COVID test,” Nerantzis wrote. “Staff members who contract COVID-19 report this to the Principal who investigates any close contacts that the staff member may have had at school.”

Parents will receive a mandatory daily symptom survey for their children. The parent can also indicate that the survey be sent to the student via text if they prefer. If this survey isn’t completed, the student will be prohibited from entering the building.

Up to now, temperature checks have been done on every student and visitor that enter, as the numbers have been manageable. Once hybrid learning goes into effect, temperature checks will only be conducted on every fifth student as they enter the building.

Many things will be impacted by more students returning, and anticipation to change is needed. “I think we will need to remain flexible as things change and as we learn more about the virus,” wrote Nerantzis.

Neranzis says that she only has one main worry when it comes to students transitioning to in-person instruction. “My concern is just having students physically distanced throughout the day,” she said. ”We are wired to want to be closer to someone when in conversation.”

Overall however, Neranzis is not worried about students making this transition. “Schools are not superspreaders,” she wrote. “At the high school level, students spread COVID-19 more than elementary students, but nowhere to the extent of spread in the community.”

Jan
15

By

“We are overcoming it”: How art classes continue during distance learning

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: ,

Alexis Shugars, Staff Writer

Art teachers Kyla Jenkins and Stephanie Woshner fill 708 paint cups to distribute to students amidst distance learning.

As classes continue through Google Meet, teachers have had to find new ways to educate their students. For many of these teachers, online classes have been manageable, as there’s not much of a need to see each other in person to complete assignments. Some teachers, however, have had to find ways of bringing a hands-on course into a digital world.

Art teacher Kyla Jenkins has been trying to figure out different ways for her students to continue their usual art course. One way she’s overcoming these challenges is distributing art supplies to students’ homes.

“We gave out drawing supply kits first semester, and painting kits this semester. We had to do this, because, due to COVID restrictions, ‘class sets’ of things are not allowed,” Jenkins wrote. “We normally have class sets of supplies that are used each block. This was not an option this year. Also, since many students don’t have any art supplies at home at all, we had to assemble the kits for everyone to be successful, whether they were hybrid or distance learning.”

All students had an opportunity to pick up the painting kits on January 11, otherwise students are responsible for picking them up at the main office on their own time. Although supplies are provided, students are encouraged to use their own if they have them.

Jenkins and art teacher Stephanie Woshner worked from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon filling cups of paint to supply to their 177 students. Each art student was given one cup of each color (red, blue, yellow, and white).

There are still many projects that students cannot participate in currently, including sculpture, clay, printmaking, and many more. “COVID is making teaching art challenging for sure but we are overcoming it,” Jenkins wrote.

Jan
15

By

Students stay fit while staying home

Category: Sports Tags: ,

Maggie Sheridan | Editor in Chief

Junior Wilson Kern continues to stay fit and lift in his at-home gym during weight training. He strives to be better and work hard, even though he is unable to do so with his classmates in person.

During the school year, students can count on gym class as a way to stay physically fit and enjoy time with friends. However, with the pandemic forcing students to take physical education online, they are unable to participate how they normally would. So the question everyone is wondering is, how are students staying active?

Even the teachers have had to adjust to the new way of teaching. “PE is completely different to be honest,” PE and Driver’s Ed teacher Tony Rayburn said. “In my advanced PE gym classes, we just do individual workouts because they can’t do team sports. For weightlifting students, we do body weight workouts.”

A major challenge for Rayburn has been that most students have their cameras off during class. “We’ll do a workout and basically I’m teaching to twenty or thirty dots,” Rayburn said. “I can’t tell if they did the workout or not, but they have to fill out information that tells me what they’re doing.”

Some students are also struggling with the transition this semester, such as those participating in weight lifting. “We only do non-weight-bearing exercises because not everyone has weights at home. This is very different online because if we were in school, we would be able to use weights,” junior Wilson Kern said.

Teachers have also come up with different assignments to ensure students are still working hard. “We do wellness assignments and students will reflect on workouts they’ve completed,” Rayburn said. “As long as they’re filling out their bonus assessments and filling out what they have to, that’s all I can do.”

Although most students are in agreement that they prefer in-person gym, some enjoy the change. “I like online gym better because I can choose what to do for workouts that I know I need,” sophomore Anna Takemoto said. “My workouts will vary and I enjoy going for runs, to the gym, or lacrosse practice.”

Rayburn has his students doing a variety of different workouts in class. “I do some from YouTube and we rotate back to my body weight workout sometimes, which helps increase strength and muscular endurance. In order to make gains, you have to track your progress and increase your workload,” Rayburn said.

Weight lifting is a bit more challenging to do online than regular PE is due to the lack of resources. “I don’t really think I am benefitting from this class at home because I’m just doing bodyweight exercises and they aren’t really helping me gain muscle mass,” Kern said. “I would like to take weight lifting in person, but I’m not sure how it’s going to work with some students online and I don’t think we will be able to use the weights in the weight room, so I am just sticking to online.”

The only class that hasn’t changed dramatically for these students is Driver’s Ed. “The instruction is very much the same as it was in-person,” Rayburn said. “It is mostly just PowerPoints and quizzes. We try not to add too much to student’s workloads, since they already have so much asynchronous work.”

Taketomo thinks it is extremely important to continue to work out for class, even though she has her camera off along with a majority of her class. “I believe I am benefiting from these workouts because I started doing them during quarantine, and have continued to do them since,” Takemoto said.

“Studies show that an active mind is a healthier mind and a healthier person physically as well as mentally,” Rayburn said, “I hope we will get more kids to move and be active, even though it is more difficult.”

Jan
12

By

Snowfall and Smiles: students and staff share their favorite holiday traditions

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: , ,

Olivia DeWan | staff writer

The holiday season is just around the corner, but because of COVID-19 people are looking forward to the holidays even more. The holidays are great for students to take a break from the stress and hard work that school requires.

“I’m looking forward to not sitting at a computer for six hours,” junior Kayla Spratt said.

The break also allows students to spend more time with their loved ones.

“I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and getting more sleep,” sophomore Maggie Hronik said.  

3. Maggie Hronik bakes lots of Christmas cookies. A few years ago, she was helping her mom make whisky cakes. Photo courtesy of Maggie Hronik.

Another thing the holidays are great for is holiday traditions. “Every year on Thanksgiving my grandparents give us a nutcracker,” said junior Lily Takemoto. “We have over twenty nutcrackers that we set up each year.”

Of course, with COVID Takemoto’s tradition changed during this year’s holiday. “This year, because we couldn’t see any family, my grandparents just mailed us a nutcracker,” she said.

On a different set of traditions, sophomore Elena Wigglesworth celebrates the holidays in a different way. “I make gingerbread houses, bake cookies and other desserts, decorate for Christmas, and spend time with my friends and family.”

2. Elena Wigglesworth does lots of baking around the holidays. Last year she made a bûche de Noel for Christmas Eve dessert. Photo courtesy by Elena Wigglesworth.

Then again, COVID interrupted her tradition. “I won’t get to see my extended family this year,” she said. “Though I should be able to do most of my other traditions.”

Similarly to Wigglesworth’s traditions, Hronik also does baking. “Every year we make cookies,” she said. “Because of COVID we have more time to make them.”

Instead of impacting her tradition in a negative way, COVID allowed her to spend more time with her favorite holiday tradition.

“My parents are with us on every Christmas Eve,” biology teacher Crystal Wolfgang said of her usual holiday plans. “We go to church and every Christmas morning we have cinnamon rolls and open presents.”

1. Crystal Wolfgang and her family watched “Elf” last Christmas while her parents visited. Photo courtesy by Crystal Wolfgang.

Unlike Hronik, COVID is going to make a significant change to Wolfgang’s holiday.

“My parents won’t be there this year because of an issue with moving and needing to be free of COVID,” she said. “It will be the first time of my son’s twenty one years that he won’t have his grandparents around on Christmas morning to be with him.”

If students were at school, they would have participated in a number of activities surrounding the holidays, most of which have been put on hold during the pandemic.

“My favorite thing I did at school before winter break was working with the UNICEF Club,” said sophomore Bella Whelchel. “I felt like I was helping people.”

Usually, the week leading to winter break is filled with class parties and movies.

In Bryan Boeing’s Spanish class, students would watch the movie “Coco” and drink Mexican hot chocolate.

Though this year, students didn’t get a movie or a party, but some students didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I can’t wait for winter break,” said Whelchel. “It gives you a chance to relax and not worry about school.”

 

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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