Back To School At Last

Towards the beginning of April, San Dimas High School students set foot on a real campus for the first time in over a year since Covid-19 hit. SDHS took a big step forward into slowly going back to what used to be normal when the school announced students could choose to go back to school in hybrid style.

Starting April 12th, students divided into two groups – group “A” and group “B” – returned to campus; some of them experiencing SDHS’s campus for the first time ever. While maintaining social distancing, with their masks and chromebooks in hand, some students met their teachers in person for the first time, and vice versa, while other pupils continued learning on zoom. Every student had their own reasons to either take on another change and return to in person learning, or finish off the closing school year in the new normal of online.

One of the students who returned to the in person classroom this month is freshmen Hannah Nguyen. She took the opportunity to participate in hybrid because “It helps me stay away from my lack of motivation.” So far, she is having a lot of fun in her classes and experiencing the school day in a whole new light. For her, the only con is that some of her friends aren’t in the same group as her.

But what about the other side of the story? Another perspective on returning to school is that of the students who didn’t go back. “It didn’t seem worth it to do hybrid so close to the end of the year, and I didn’t feel like it was a safe idea,” states freshmen Angelina Deakins. May will be the last full month left in the school year and many students feel the pandemic has already shaken up their lives enough and would rather finish off this tough year on zoom.

At the front of the classroom, teachers are seeing some of their student’s faces for the first time instead of a black screen. “The school feels like it’s come back to life for teachers as well as students now that so many people are back on campus,” exclaims biology teacher Mrs. Pickering. “I’m happy to see not only my students, but also the teachers I’ve worked with for years, but haven’t been able to see for the last year.”

Mrs. Pickering says the best part of being on campus is meeting her students this year for the first time in person and when her past student stopped by to say hello. For her, “The hardest part about being back is trying to find a way to balance my time between my students that are in class and those that are still at home.”

This year has been a whirlwind of change that has affected the lives of everyone at San Dimas High School. From teachers to students to the parents of Saints, this school year has been like nothing ever before. Mrs. Pickering’s message to her students in these trying times is “ I know it’s been a rough year – more so for some of us than for others. Just remember that this won’t last forever – stay strong and know that we can all get through this together. I’m here (and so are all of the teachers and staff at SDHS) if you need someone to lean on.”