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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | HILLTOPVIEWSONLINE.COM
Austin enters Stage 5, AISD faces obstacles to keep students, teachers safe By KRYSTA HERRERA As COVID-19 cases rise across the state of Texas, students, teachers and parents are learning to navigate school life all while facing unprecedented circumstances. Meanwhile, the debate over masks continues. Mere weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a ban on mask mandates, State District Judge Catherine Mauzy of Travis County temporarily blocked Abbott’s executive order, GA-38. This allowed 20 school districts, including Austin ISD, to require students, teachers, visitors and all other employees to wear masks. AISD, is attempting to restore normalcy even as the number of Texas students testing positive has increased since last year.
“Two fourth grade classes have had to go into quarantine and pockets of kids in two or three different classrooms have had to quarantine because they’re getting exposed,” Letty Alvear, a kindergarten teacher at Barton Hills Elementary, said. As a parent to three AISD students, Alvear chooses to wear a mask to protect not only herself and her class, but her son Jacob, who at 11 years old, is currently too young to receive the vaccine. “As a parent I agree we need to have a mask mandate, and as a teacher I was still going to wear a mask regardless of what happened with Abbott because we’re there to protect the kids,” Alvear said. However, it appears that in the midst of all of this uncertainty, where many critical decisions
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Many elementary schools, like Barton Springs, are facing rising COVID-19 infections. Both teachers and parents face new challenges as the school year begins.
are left to individual districts, parents are forced to make tough decisions in order to serve the best interests of their children. Kim Fry, a former AISD parent, has a third and fifth grader and recently made the decision to
transfer her children to Eanes ISD. Like other parents deliberating over what choices are best for their kids, it was ultimately the lack of communication and uncertainty with AISD that contributed the most to her choice.
“The communication from the district as well as the elementary school just lacked completely. And now that we’ve switched and just knowing they [Eanes Elementary] would enforce in- person learning, the teachers would be in person; it’s just a lot more efficient then what AISD was.….The masks or no masks was not the incentive, it was the communication and the type of education that they’ll be receiving, and the assistance with the teachers is where we see the big difference,” Fry said. “Even as an employee of the school they don't really give us specifics… Things change from day to day; one day they [students] are allowed to eat their snacks inside and the next day because there are rising cases, we’re asked to eat outside,” Alvear said.
Students return to campus, RecWell faces continuing challenges By ANALISA FLORES
After a year and a half of fully remote classes, the student body has finally returned to campus. In Jan. of 2020 the newly renovated and expanded Recreation and Athletic Center (RAC) opened. Only a few months later, classes went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The renovation of the RAC was a part of the 2018 Master Plan. The renovations provided more facility space for all students, not just athletes. Recreation and Wellness, often referred to as RecWell, is an integral part of the St. Edwards community. Recwell provides a large range of activities for students to get active and involved in the campus community. They offer club sports, fitness programs such as GroupX and Personal
Training, recreational sports and Wellness Services such as Peer Wellness Champions. In light of the risk that COVID-19 still poses to the St. Edwards Community, the RAC maintains protocols that are in place for the other facilities on campus. Students and faculty who want to participate in activities are required to reserve a spot using the IMLeagues portal. Reservations need to be made in advance, but walk-ins can be added to a class if there is space available. Additionally, students have to show their updated TopperSafe badge and student ID at checkin. Reserving spots in advance for classes as well as workout times in the gym ensures a safe number of students in the facilities at any given time. Marco Martinez, Recwell’s Social Media Marketing Coordinator, explained how the new facilities
have helped recwell. They are able to have more participation because of expanded space as well as growing and expanding their outreach to the community. In reference to COVID-19 safety protocols, Martinez explained that RecWell staff also clean in between classes and require masks to be kept on at all times. This semester, students can expect a lot of the same programs and facilities that RecWell offered in pre-pandemic times. However, Martinez did outline that some club sports are no longer offered and their Outdoor Adventures program, which used to facilitate overnight and day camping trips, is not currently available. Instead, they are offering camping equipment rentals by reservation. For the Fall 2021 semester, all GroupX classes are free. GroupX offers classes like Vinyasa yoga, BOSU strength, spin,
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Topper Safe Badges are required to enter many areas on campus including certain areas of Ragsdale. RecWell now requires a yellow Topper Safe badge to access their facilities.
cardio, barre and dance classes. There is also prerecorded GroupX content available on YouTube that can be done from the comfort of one's home for those uncomfortable participating in in-person classes. Exercise is a great way to improve
mental health and getting that exercise in with RecWell activities can also help students make new friends and get involved in the St. Edwards community. To stay up to date about Recwell, follow their instagram page @seurecwell.
