As the second semester has arrived, more students have started to attend school in person, but their arrival has made the campus feel more packed and crowded.
Many have noticed that classrooms and hallways are getting fuller, and fewer people are following the mask mandate and social distancing rules. As it becomes more chaotic, some worry for their own safety during this pandemic.
“I don’t really feel safe [on campus],” sophomore Judy Zhao said. “I thought they were going to be more strict about the rules, but some teachers are really lenient about them. I think that teachers should make sure students’ masks are on and make sure there’s distance between people.”
To make sure every student feels safe, many teachers are hard at work to keep their classrooms as safe as possible. Some have even started to reward their students for following the school rules.
“I have a competition board in my classroom where each class period earns points based on them following the rules,” honors and AP chemistry teacher Brie Levesque said. “I have recently decided to add mask reminders to the board, and now class periods will earn points if I don’t have to remind anyone to adjust their masks.”
Even if students are trying to stay safe, the coronavirus cases on campus are continuing to rise. However, most staff members are still trying their best to find ways to fight against the virus.
“Masks are the hardest thing to enforce,” Levesque said. “The students that came back are not used to wearing a mask all day, so they need constant reminders to pull their masks up or cover their noses. When one or two students continuously pull their masks down, it starts a domino effect and other students pull their masks down as well.”
Even though many teachers and staff are making the classrooms safe for students, some have noticed that the rules are becoming more relaxed.
“Several teachers have become more relaxed about rule enforcement so it makes it more difficult for those of us who are continuing enforcement,” Levesque said.
