Sam and Sterling Squabble Over School

Last March, the COVID-19 pandemic racked the nation. No one knew what was going to happen or how. For the entire summer everyone had one question: how are we going to go back to school? And are we? When it was announced that we would start the school year online, everyone was confused on what to do, seeing as most people didn’t take online schooling previously, if at all. There are two sides to this argument, and that argument being In person school vs Online School. We are going to break it down and give our opinions. Ready? FIGHT!

This is a highly debated and discussed topic with face to face schooling being better than online. When we were in remote learning, so many things went wrong; between internet outages, distractions and no socializing, people were going crazy! The BGQ polled the student body and asked “would you rather do in person or online schooling?” and over 71% of people who responded voted for in person. Having a school system you can easily work with is important. It helps someone learn better than having something you can’t work properly in. Face to face vs. online isn’t just a popularity contest. It’s also something that helps students regularly. In person helps students be social, for one. I researched how being more social helps students and my findings were promising. The PBS article “The Science of Smart: How your Social Life in High School affects you today,” talks about how high schoolers being social can have long term impacts. In one instance, the article states, ”groups can still function well socially—if they find a comfortable niche among their classmates.” In other words, kids in groups like geeks, jocks, emo and different types of cliques feel comfortable and can help them be more social with other things too. This proves in person schooling is better because online isn’t being social at all. You aren’t talking to your friends, you’re not getting any interaction with anyone but a screen. We need social skills but we just aren’t getting any. If we have the proper precautions in place, why isn’t in person better? It’s safe with the strictness of mask wearing, sanitizing before and after riding the bus, and signing out to go to the bathroom to track you. With everything we are doing to protect ourselves from COVID-19, we should start getting back to normal, and going back to online won’t provide that. Everyone can remember before coronavirus and how school was before it. This is the new norm; with the proper precautions we are putting in place, we need to start transitioning back to what we all knew as school normally. And who doesn’t want that? The only problem is we can’t control the virus. This may give a point to the opposition, but with the things we can do to combat it, we will end up victorious. As long as we can still be safe, this throws a

“I get the help that I need when we have in person school. I also have the motivation to get my work done.” -Mackenzie Bergemann ‘22

“I get to see all of my friends and get a more in-depth learning experience.” -Ralphie Ford ‘22

point to in-person learning as well. With the recent outbreak at Central, we have some more safety issues. We need to make sure to take the maximum safety precautions so we don’t have another. Some things are just a given in this day and age: don’t cough on someone, make sure to social distance, try not to be next to someone at all times, and be sure to spread out. We are already semi-trained on what to do for COVID-19 and have many precautions in place. //

by SAMUEL ELKINS & STERLING GOODWIN staff writers

The issue of online versus in person schooling has been a highly debated subject among staff and students alike. Even as we return to in person, we are plagued by the looming threat of another shutdown. Needless to say, it’s a polarizing issue with consequences that affect everyone. Whether you have been restlessly awaiting the return to in-person or perfectly content on a Google Meet, the unstable nature of learning through COVID-19 persists. In an effort to mitigate the risks of live instruction, several guidelines have been put in place. We are all aware of the one-way floor markings and the constant cleaning of desks. These all seem like great strides, but how effective are they really? When it comes to school, the health of students and teachers should come first. We still have many things to learn about the virus, and the return to in person puts the well-being of many people at risk. Following state regulations regarding safety with over a thousand students is a logistical nightmare that has yet to be solved. Most classes are too large to allow students to remain a distance of six feet, and it is nearly impossible to not be in direct contact with another student in the hallways. Remote learning is new and awkward, but the safety of our peers and teachers outweighs the cost of online. We do know that the spread of the virus happens through aerosols and moisture. This means that masks and six feet distancing are the best ways to fight the spread. While the directional arrows are a step in the right direction, the narrow hallways of the school make proper distancing a real challenge. Adding on several students’ disregard for the given paths through the school, and the effectiveness of the arrows seems quite low. Another issue arises when it comes to the paths. Due to many hallways only being one-way lanes, you may have to take much longer routes to reach a class that would otherwise be quite close. Nothing is more frustrating than having to walk all the way around the auditorium to reach a class barely into F-Wing. At least Central is making an effort to optimize the halls. Kegan Fernow ‘22 observed, “The one-way pathing lines were a bit off the first week but I do like the changes done in F-Wing.” But can these small changes save Central? The shortcomings of Central’s precautions have not gone unnoticed. Fernow notes that while “you can almost find [hand sanitizer] around every corner,” other regulations are ineffective or not followed. All it takes is one person to ignore this protocol and increase risk of spreading the virus. Especially with the presence of asymptomatic infections, you can’t approach the issue like you do not have the virus. COVID-19 requires a proactive approach in order to slow the spread. Most upsetting is the efforts of those wishing to adhere to the policies being negated by the minority of people putting themselves before others’ health. The benefits of in person school cannot be ignored— I would much rather be in a classroom than stuck in front of a webcam—but it is more important that Central’s staff, students, and their families are healthy. In order to stay in the building, we need to take responsibility for our health. //

“[Online school] is less stressful. It’s hard to focus on school and work when I’m constantly worried about Corona.” -Maci Wilcox ‘23

“It really depends. In normal circumstances, I would say in-person, but I have a pretty bad feeling that covid will return.” -Henry Huschke ‘21