Back to Campus

B ca t Ck o am Explore all the ways that students, up s staff and others feel about going back

As of March 9, Palo Alto High of remote learning. One of these students and School Board Representative Medha School has allowed students to was freshman Miya Joshi, who set foot on Alta was in the middle of the action makreturn to campus twice a week. campus for the first time this past March. ing decisions alongside the school board, Justified concern struck a portion of the “It [online learning] actually had a re- yet was still apprehensive when the first community worried about safety precau- ally big effect on my mental health,” Joshi reopening plan was surveyed. tions such as teachers being sent in per- said. “It was hard for me to sit in front of “When we got that survey to fill out son without vaccinations. Nonetheless, a a screen for seven hours and not be able to for the previous reopening schedule I had significant group of the community also leave my house to see my friends. It’s hard said ‘no,’”Atla said. “I was going to stay advocated the opposite—a reopening was for me to just learn on my own.” home and committed to that.” The survey necessary to combat the increasing social, Others voiced their discontent regard- sent out in December had been the topemotional and academic isolation of stu- ing the lack of teachers involved in the ic of much criticism at the time because dents. After just decisionmaking pro- of the limited flexibility in the options to over a year of living through a pan- “By late January, I was cess. Science teacher Michael Mishali is rereturn. However, Atla changed her mind soon after. demic, varying ex- like, ‘I can’t do this covering from leg sur- “By late January, I was like, ‘I can’t do periences provide unique opinions on going back. anymore.’” Medha Atla gery, meaning he’s not mobile enough to teach in person yet. Mishali this anymore,’” Atla said. “You hit your breaking point at different stages and for me I think late January was it.”

Principal Brent is considering coming Anywhere on this specKline never got to experience Paly culture back after Spring Break because he wants trum of comfortability is before schools shut down last spring be- to see students again, but thought the a valid opinion, so it’s cause he was hired on the cusp of all the original timeline felt rushed. critical that we highchaos. After looking out onto an empty “In the course of the school week, I light them all. Mental quad for months, Kline said it’s been fun am least happy on Mondays when I do health specialist Elizato see some students fill the space. Zoom-free lessons because I really do miss beth Spector, who works

“It’s like the clouds finally parted and being in a classroom with kids,” Misha- in the Wellness Center, the sun shone on our campus with the li said. “But I wish that we waited a lit- echoed this sentiment. return of kids,” Kline said. “Although it tle longer until more teachers were safely “It’s important to wasn’t a huge amount, I saw a needle’s eye vaccinated until we return.” weigh all of the factors,” of what Paly’s about and what it’s like.” Junior and ASB Site Council Repre- Spector said. “It’s not

And as far as reopenings go, few things sentative Nysa Bhat agreed. one-size-fits-all, so it’s imwere more highly anticipated than the re- “Parents were consulted on this de- portant to know what it is turn of athletics. Nelson Gifford, athletic cision and sort of the board members that you and your family director and administrator during hybrid and students, but I felt with the teachers, need and use that to guide learning, also shared his excitement for there was not that much representation you.” the full return. for them and their voices were not being

“I understand the very real safety heard,” Bhat said. concerns that come with reintroducing Kline said that those involved in people back into a close contact environ- planning the reopening included several ment,” Gifford said. “However, I’m really teacher leaders, counselors, his adminisimpressed with the discipline and consid- trative team and more. Still, many teacheration that students have demonstrated ers have chosen to continue instruction with following the protocols while they’re from home. on campus.” But the consensus isn’t black and

According to Kline, one of his and white—some community members are other planning members’ main objectives left stuck in the middle, unsure of whethwas to help students with the challenges er or not to go back at this point. Senior

Audrey Guo Sophomore

The first day not a class went by without, “Audrey, are you in Paly?” spired architecture and the historic Haymarket, located at the heart of Paly is the ugly duckling of all slices that had undergone a phase change and melted together. I moved on quickly to a “CoI was. After months in distance buildings. The Student Center was coa Puffs™ Cereal Bar,” carton learning, an email in mid-January where I’d be spending my next few of milk and complete absence of had assigned me to the Student weeks. vegetables from Center to participate in a new “hybrid” learning program. This was I stood in the “It’s been too close to the table. As I ate, I reminded before schools would open to everyone in March, before Palo Alto Center’s doorway real school.” myself that the lunch was free. entered the orange tier and stu- and walked From my dents started to feel optimistic. And clockwise, hitting something new first days on campus to the last, despite thinking my days would be with every two steps: desktop com- my weeks in hybrid flew by quickbetter spent in the comfort of my puters, taped-off water fountains, ly. I started packing my own lunch, home than all of the Student Cen- an ominous microwave, vending taking walks around the quad and ter’s discomforts, I decided to give machines gathering dust and fi- even enjoyed a donut from our it a shot. Worst case scenario, it’d nally a small landfill of foldable ta- classroom supervisor. But the best make a pretty good story for later. bles. “Multipurpose room” doesn’t part was that I bonded with my “What’s it like?” even begin to describe the amalga- classmates sitting six feet apart. HyMy classmates and teachers mation of things that the Student brid felt like our secret, a chance would unmute one after the oth- Center is; in fact, “multimulti- to sneak off to school and take the er, asking the same question. En- purpose room” would be a better whole campus to ourselves. cased in a plastic shield, I gave a word. Now in April, I see people rehearsed response: “Hybrid is As I seated myself by six or grumble about the pointlessness good, but it’s surreal.” When each seven other kids behind shields, it of returning to school, how it inquired further, I would then ex- seemed like the Center had been all feels the same, distanced or plain the oddity of having a virtual repurposed again. not. But honestly? Going back to class watch you from the front and But stranger than the classroom school for real, attempting “Zoom then another very real class watch was the food. After two periods in a Room,” it’s been too close to from the back, left and right. This passed, our classroom supervi- real school. This isn’t like hybrid. wasn’t the strangest part though. sor pointed us at a cafeteria table Because it seems that some-

Paly is located at the heart of heaped with plastic bags and tin where along the way, I forSilicon Valley. Its campus is so boxes. got the unattractive parts of enviable that, while calling their Others worried about the safety a regular school day—how parents or making lunch plans of returning. I worried about the exhausting it can be and the with friends, us students will safety of those lunches. inability to jump into the often say things like “pick me When I opened the tin contain- shower between classes and up at the bell tower” or “let’s er, several things happened very into bed immediately after. meet near the arches” with an quickly. First I spotted a red pack- In the past year I’ve run my air of disturbing casual- age labelled “MINI French first (and second) half maraty. And yet, amidst Toast: cinnamon rush” and thon, picked up coding skills, Spanish-in- on it, the Pillsbury Dough- taken on risks and challenges; boy greeted me with a big I’ve learned to spend time with smile—the first I had seen all my family and with myself. And day. For the most part I smiled I’ve lived with more freedom than back, until I realized he wasn’t I’ll be getting in years. pointing at the advertised So maybe I’m not ready to refrench toast, but instead sev- turn to normalcy yet. Maybe I’ll eral toast-shaped bread-cake stay remote a while longer.

“Five days a week, senior Emma Jacobi can be found out on the slopes skiing. Before, she would only ski Michael Mishali Teacher on the weekends—driving up to Lake Tahoe on Fridays and coming back down on Sundays—but distance learning has given her the chance to join a more rigorous team and practice on school days as well. “I decided to, obviously, not go back to school because I wouldn’t be able to go skiing in the mornings,” Jacobi said. Jacobi also had doubts about school safety and didn’t want to expose her parents to COVID-19. Even so, she empathizes with students who feel a lack of socialization since quarantine began. “Since I’m a senior, you’re missing out on all these opportunities that you would normally have, which just overall sucks,” Jacobi said. “Maybe after the season’s over. I would definitely love to go back and see some of my friends but it’s not really a priority of mine right now.” “I feel the absence of students in my life and I do think

I will feel better when I’m back on campus seeing kids safely. But I don’t think it’s okay to destroy the safety of schools. Students and teachers should feel safe at school, and the rush back, less than a month before teachers would have been vaccinated, does not feel good to me.”

Emma Jacobi Senior

Stacey Kofman Teacher

“One of the reasons I stay at school because I didn’t want to bring [my models] home. I have two skeletons. One is very fragile and breaking and then I have all sorts of little joint models that I don’t want to break.” Nelson Gifford Athletic Director

“It feels different to get up and shower and put on an outfit and come and be around other Sima Thomas Librarian people. Even though my job hasn’t changed, I even feel mentally more engaged in what I’m doing. I didn’t ever really feel like I could totally do my job off campus. Classroom teachers are able to log on to Zoom and their classroom is where they are “ and even if it’s on Zoom, they are a classroom. Because I have more physical materials that I work with, I felt like I needed to be here. I wanted to make sure students were still getting access to print books.” During hybrid it was so weird to be in a room full of teenagers and there being no sound, and so I’m ready for there to be sound again. Before the pandemic, you go into Starbucks. What did you see? You saw people on their laptop, working. Why weren’t they at home? Is the internet there that much better? They can make coffee at home. Why do they need to go to Starbucks? It’s the same thing. You know you’re around people doing the same thing, that are giving you energy simply from their presence. So, being at school, you can get some of that energy to know that, in fact, what you’re experiencing is not isolated that we’re all going through this process together. And it’s just that sense of community.”

“ “ Igot an email telling me that I was going to be participating in hybrid learning, and I just kind of figured out where to go and what to do. It [hybrid learning] was just such a whirlwind of excitement, because I had been doing so poorly trying to figure out distance learning and the slog of being in the same room. I’ve dealt with mental health issues in the past, and the thing about that is that even in normal times when there’s no COVID, it’s so hard to get out of bed every day and it’s so hard to be around other people. Even though [seeing my friends] was super hard to do, those things were how I stayed happy and healthy. And then all of a sudden it became so easy to just lay in bed all day and just be totally miserable. Talk to the people you know who are already going back to school and see what it’s like. And then, unless you’re really convinced that you wouldn’t want to, I would recommend going just fora day. It might have an impact that you wouldn’t expect otherwise. Noah Boyarsky Sophomore Owen Rice Junior After things shut down last spring, I started to realize my value for things in in-person school, like biking every morning to school. Sometimes it was a little harder if I was more tired. Sometimes it’d be less enjoyable. But just starting my day by getting out of the house [at] a good, consistent time, getting myself to school and being outside really helped me mentally get set. Even at the end of the day, biking home after school outside is always a calming, nice thing for me. It’s the start of my day and it’s the sigh of relief like, ‘Okay, I’m done with my day.’ Just being at school, walking around like I once was in between classes ... it’s nice to mix it up.”

It’s been a long, long last few months,” Kline said. “And it’s been a very, very short, fun last [few] weeks.” Tuesdays through Fridays, principal Brent Kline can be found on the quad checking in with students. As someone deeply involved in planning the return, Kline said the purpose of “I’ve grown so used to being at home, it’s out of my comfort zone to go back opening Paly doors was to let kids get out of the house and to school and be somewhere interact with their peers and teachers. else for a whole day, learning. I Still, many community members didn’t see it that way. Both mean, it could be a good thing the current and initial January plans to return were met with for my mental health and I heavy criticism. don’t really know—we’ll “I try not to take it personally,” Kline said. “It’s easier said see. Right now, I’m than done. I think it’s easy to criticize something that, as an looking at it as a negindividual person, you need and you’re not receiving.” ative thing because I Kline wanted people to know that making these decisions won’t be at home and in involves more than just himself. It’s a conversation be- my own little bubble.” Brent Kline tween administrators, teacher leaders, counselors and

Principal others. “Everybody’s had a piece of the puzzle in terms of creating what we created,” Kline said. “Just as any principal, you need to know the whole picture and every single piece that makes up that whole.” And despite claims of little teacher representation, those involved in the planning said they wanted to accommodate as many people as possible. To do so, Kline had to sideline some of his own aspirations. “I wish that we could create a school where everybody could return safely and fully, but we can’t right now. I wish that we could open faster. I wish that we could have more kids on campus,” Kline said. “When it’s all said and done, [the current plan] is the right way to go because I want to ensure that our teachers, our adults and our students are entering a safe environment with explicit expectations and that we’re all following them.” Isa Morabia Junior