Nick Richar (from left) sits down with Cranberry High School seniors Andrea Ziegler, Zac Kiefer, and Cam Russell in an interview regarding the return to school. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
By NICK RICHAR
Student contributor
“With everything going on, the school should be prepared for a successful year,” Cameron Russell, a Cranberry senior, said during an interview about the return to school.
In March, school came to an abrupt end with three months of school left. Six months later, schools are reopening with social distancing guidelines and state mask mandates in effect.
Despite the changes, many students are returning with a sense of hope and excitement, and eager to see peers they haven’t seen in months.
Ready for the new school year to begin, Andrea Ziegler stressed that it will be good to get back into a routine.
Zac Kiefer, a Cranberry senior, urged the student body to “follow the rules so we don’t have to go home again.” He added, “I’ll wear a mask if it means I get to come to school.”
Cranberry School District, like every other school, is enforcing social distancing guidelines, which means a mandatory six feet separation, face masks, and other health and safety changes.
One big change students face is a schedule change. Students typically have eight, forty minute periods. The school has changed it to “block scheduling,” which changes those eight periods to four, so it will take two days to complete a full day of classes. Students have mixed reactions about this.
Elizabeth Sisco said, “I actually think that with the longer classes, it makes up for the half schedule and we should actually be able to get more done when we have our classes.”
An underclassman, Ashton Weaver, added, “I don’t think Covid is going to affect group learning all that much. I feel some kids might have a harder time learning on their own though.”
Overall, students seem excited to return and feel these rules won’t drastically affect their ability to learn.
In addition to everyday classes, sports are an important part of school to a large portion of students at Cranberry, who not only play but also share the experience of gathering and watching these events with their friends.
For a while, having a sports season was in question, but, recently, Cranberry’s school board voted for fall sports to be in session with distancing rules in effect. The only downside is the restriction on spectators.
Kiefer said that he is glad the band is there because it gets the team hyped but it won’t be the same without a crowd and his parents watching.
When asked about the changes, Weaver mentioned that “his own personal goals” are put into question because of the rules.
Russell, a co-op varsity football player on Oil City’s team, said, “It’s making me see just how much the structure we’re used to can change.”
Keeping his positive attitude though, Russell said, “It’s better to play than not.”
While it seems the fall sports season is saved for now, winter and spring sports are still in question.
Seniors at Cranberry have made it pretty clear they are “bummed out.” Multiple students have mentioned their uncertainty for the typical senior events.
Andrea Ziegler said, “I hope we don’t miss our senior trip; I just don’t see us having one.”
Thinking long term and with graduation on his mind, Russell noted, “I feel our year could be limited and might cause our year of schooling to be limited and not complete this time.”
The year is uncertain for sure, but you can be sure that the administration, teachers, and staff at Cranberry have made the best case scenario out of a pretty unfortunate situation.
Nick Richar and Ava Fischer are students at Cranberry High School and members of Cranberry Chronicles, the school’s journalism/publications class.
