SOUTH DEERFIELD — After two years of schooling under the shadow of COVID-19, students returned to what’s hoped to be a more normal academic year when they walked through the doors of Frontier Regional and Union 38 district schools on Tuesday morning.
With masks optional, smiles were abundant as students reunited with friends and greeted staff members, enjoying the first normal school opening since 2019 for Frontier, Union 38 and other districts across the county. The majority of Franklin County schools welcome students back later this week.
At Frontier, students were in agreement that, while sometimes necessary, it feels great to be able to go without a mask.
“It’s definitely better,” commented freshman Carter Miller. “It’s definitely more normal than it was.”
“It feels pretty good to not wear a mask and to see my friends’ faces,” added sophomore Izac Wormgoor.
Standing outside the school and greeting students as they parked their cars, got off the bus or were dropped off, Principal George Lanides said seeing students returning to school is “wonderful,” especially considering the challenges of the last few years.
“It means everything,” he said with a smile. “Last year was tough.”
Entering this school year, the Frontier and Union 38 school districts are maintaining the same COVID-19 health safety protocols that were in place at the end of last school year, minus pooled testing, according to a letter from Superintendent Darius Modestow.
“We continue to follow the recommendations of our local health boards and will maintain the current COVID precautions put in place at the end of the 2021/22 school year. This includes optional masking, required masking following a mandatory five-day quarantine for a student who tests positive for COVID, and symptomatic testing by the school nurse,” he wrote. “However, at this time, the state is no longer supporting the implementation of pool testing or providing home test kits.”
Despite the challenges that came from coordinating education while ensuring students, staff and families were safe from COVID-19, Lanides said there are some positive things to take away from the experience, which range from the ability to conduct remote meetings to understanding the needs for short breaks — Frontier runs a block schedule, with classes that are one hour long, and the school implemented “mask breaks” over the last two years.
“We learned a lot from COVID. The technology piece has blossomed,” Lanides said, adding that “(Teachers and students) appreciated having a break” at certain points throughout the day.
Beyond the operations of the school, Lanides said it was a chance to gain a new perspective and to “reassess what’s important in life.” While remote learning offered a way to teach from home, Lanides said the human connection is how children really learn and grow in both school and in life.
“You realize how important connection is,” he said. “You realize how important friends are and how important relationships are.”
While reuniting with friends, students said they were looking forward to making new connections and strengthening old ones.
“Being at a new school and meeting new people,” Carter said when asked what he was looking forward to this year.
Fellow freshman Abigail Clemens said she was looking forward to attending high school without a mask and making new friends, but admitted she was “kind of really nervous” about her first day.
“We’re finally in school with no masks,” Abigail said. “It’s different.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.