permission to print image: Gale
With the world still in the wake of COVID-19 and the school season beginning, Olentangy Local School District has devised a plan for the safety of the students and teachers during this difficult time.
The plan is called the hybrid schedule as many students know, and it works by splitting the students into A and B groups. The students in A group go Monday and Thursday with every other Wednesday, and group B goes Tuesdays and Fridays with every other Wednesday.
Many of the students and staff are excited to be back in the building and are ready to start a new year while also taking proper safety measures. “After what seems like a very long time, we are incredibly excited to begin welcoming our students back to Orange High School,” Principal Trond Smith said, in an email to students and parents.
There are some mixed opinions about doing the hybrid schedule, and some students feel like they would rather be back in a regular school schedule.
“I don’t really like it and I wish we went back fully,” sophomore Jake Storrer said.
With half of the school week being at home doing schoolwork on any given day, student opinions vary greatly about working independently on school at home.
“It’s better because I get to stay home and sleep in. The work is also a lot easier and more enjoyable,” sophomore Camden Deshazer said.
There are a few school districts in Central Ohio that have decided to go all online for the school year, such as Columbus City Schools. According to 10 TV News “All students at Columbus City Schools will begin the 2020-2021 school year in a completely virtual learning.”
This means they have scheduled zoom calls and all work is at home. Olentangy has decided differently and has gone with the hybrid schedule because it best suits the needs of students and teachers.
Though there are mixed feelings about the new hybrid schedule, most people agree that this is for the safety of the students and staff.
“They [the school] used the hybrid schedule to provide a safer environment for students and teachers,” Deshazer said.
Some people are questioning if students really get the full learning experience while doing the hybrid schedule. Because half of the students’ days are at home, then some people, like Storrer, feel they aren’t learning as much.
“I want to go back fully because I learn better with a teacher rather than a computer. Kids need to go to get help from teachers,” Storrer said.
While there are concerns from students and staff about if students are getting the full experience, teachers are doing their best to work with what we have for now and assigning valuable work that helps students to learn at home as much as possible in this difficult time.
