Disinfectants and hand sanitizers are used to clean and sanitize classroom objects for the students and teachers. (By Gabe Dresbach/Student contributor)
By DEVIN ZERBE
Student contributor
If you’ve been inside of Cranberry High School since the school year began on Sept. 1, you may have noticed that there have been quite a few changes since the last time students roamed throughout the
Cranberry High School follows Covid regulations with posted signs and a change in the use of the water fountains. (By Gabe Dresbach/Student contributor)
halls. Many schools in the area are fortunate enough to have all students return to fully in-person classes. However, for this to be possible, many new precautions and safety features had to be put into place.
The most obvious of these precautions is block scheduling. In this type of schedule, students go to only four of their classes a day, and then attend the other four the following day. Because of this, each class is lengthened to about an hour and a half long, allowing for the school day to start and end at its usual time. Block scheduling is being used to create less traffic in the hallways, as well as less physical contact between students.
In regards to the new scheduling, sophomore Ryan Hanna stated, “I like it because it gives me more time to do my work, so it’s less stressful.”
The block schedule is expected to be used throughout the year unless the circumstances caused by the pandemic change.
Student teacher Kara Daugherty sanitizes desks before the next class. (By Gabe Dresbach/Student contributor)
Another notable precaution is the requirement of masks to be worn by anyone entering the school. Cranberry provided multiple washable cloth masks to students on the first day of the school year, and while the majority of students and teachers wear masks such as these, face shields are also an acceptable alternative. Most teachers are allowed to give their students ten minute mask breaks during class, which assures that the students won’t have any trouble breathing throughout the day.
Something for students to be aware of, though, is that all areas, such as the bathrooms, lunch tables, and entrances to the school, are kept properly sanitized multiple times a day. Most teachers disinfect their classrooms after every period, and some even take extra steps to make students feel safe.
English teacher Debra Matthews said, “I will follow the policy given to me by the administration in order to make sure that we have the privilege of physically attending school every day. For this reason, I disinfect between classes.”
The other major change implemented this year is the requirement of social distancing while in class and during lunch. Many teachers have had to rearrange their entire classrooms to be able to have their students spaced apart during class, and some have suffered with an allowance of fewer students per class than usual.
Cafeteria seats are marked with blue tape to keep students and staff socially distanced. (By Gabe Dresbach/Student contributor)
Aside from classes, the school has needed to be much more cautious during the lunch periods, splitting apart the usual three lunch periods in favor of many more smaller, spaced out periods. Because of the social distancing rules, Cranberry now has to utilize both the commons area as well as half of the gym for students to be able to eat. There can only be a maximum of three students per table, and they are encouraged to sit at the same table each day.
However, while social distancing is beneficial to the health and safety of students and staff, there are concerns of how it could affect their mental state. Students may be anxious about the return to school due to the large amount of people in the building. There is the chance some people may become nervous about having to come to school five days a week.
High school counselor Andrew Godinich stated, “Humans are by nature social creatures, so the isolation of quarantine can potentially have a negative impact and could lead to mental health challenges like depression.”
Despite these concerns, Godinich assured that “If someone is struggling with anxiety or depression, there is help out there; talk to a friend, teacher, or counselor, and we can help them figure out what will work to get them the help that they need.”
Cranberry’s year has been running smoothly so far with no major setbacks threatening to send the school into a blended schedule, or possibly even fully online learning.
The high school Principal Richard Smith stated, “The students and staff have been mindful of the state mandates that we are required to follow, and are all making the best of it. I appreciate the effort that everyone has made to make coming back to school a huge success.”
Cranberry will have students attend fully face-to-face classes for as long as possible, and many people are hoping the precautions will allow classes to last in-person until the end of the school year.
Devin Zerbe and Gabe Dresbach are students at Cranberry High School and members of Cranberry Chronicles, the school’s journalism/publications class.
