October 25, 2021

Waterford High School is back in session with full in-school learning for the new school year. Students and teachers don’t need to have Zoom meetings, fall sports are back, and more opportunities are available for students, but we’re still in a pandemic. The WHS population still is required to follow Covid guidelines for safety purposes. These rules include wearing your mask at all times inside the school, social distancing when possible, not sharing any food, and taking mask breaks. Some of the students here in Waterford High School feel comfortable and safe with these new Covid rules in place. Tara Smith who is a senior said, “I feel decently comfortable, I feel like school hasn’t done much due to Covid because some kids still wear masks with their noses out and so I feel less comfortable from last year.” She also said, “I’ve taken these restrictions seriously because it is obviously bigger than me, and we all want to do normal things, but we can’t due to trying to reduce Covid cases.” Gaudencio Gatchalian, a junior, stated that “I feel comfortable with the rules, but I’m still cautious about it at the same time due to the risk of Covid.” Compared to last year’s atmosphere, Gatchalian said “It’s changed drastically. We were more cautious of our surroundings. This year is more relaxed because a lot more people are vaccinated. It’s less stressful.” After a year of the Covid-19 Pandemic, most students feel safer with these restrictions put in place. Gatchalian said. “Yeah I feel safer with the way the school handles these restrictions and regulations because they have definitely helped me.” The 2020-21 school year was very difficult with students having to switch between Zoom meetings and in-person classes halfway through the week, but lessons were learned. Gatchalian explains, “Actually the pandemic helped me learn to be more aware of my surroundings and to be more distant from others to protect myself.” Smith explained that she learned to be organized. These skills can be useful in this current situation. Students here in Waterford High School have mostly accepted the current precautions and will benefit from having a year that can be close to something normal.