NEWS
SIX FEET OF SEPARATION — Classroom desks are placed six feet apart, ensuring that all students and staff will be able to socially distance during classes. There are around 12 to 14 desks per classroom, depending on the size of the room. (Photo courtesy of Ellen Reilly)
BACK TO THE BUILDING
Students and staff prepare for the long-awaited return to school HERAN ESSAYAS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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fter months of waiting for school to open, students are now able to go back to in-person learning. For many of them, it will be their first time entering the building this school year—for some, it will be their first time ever. FCPS plans for seniors and freshmen to return on March 2, while juniors and sophomores will return on March 9. Students will go forth with the hybrid schedule, in which students with last names beginning with A-K will be in person on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and those with last names L-Z on Thursdays and Fridays. Students will attend concurrent synchronous virtual classes on the days they’re not in the building. Originally, high school students were slated to return on Jan. 26, but an increase in COVID-19 cases and lack of preparation from FCPS prompted the school board to further delay in-person instruction. After the Feb. 2 school board work session, members decided to return all students who want inperson instruction by March 16. “I’m excited to go back to school because I can see most of my friends who I haven’t seen in almost a year. I really miss the social aspect of school where I got to have fun conversations with my friends,” senior LanAnh Dang-Vu said. “Online learning is really 4 | NEWS | FEBRUARY
exhausting without the social aspect, since distancing and masks, students and staff all we can do is just go to class, learn and must follow safety guidelines, one of which repeat.” is only using the water fountain to fill up At McLean, classrooms are set up to hold water bottles using the filler. as many desks as possible while maintaining “When you walk into the building, a six-feet distance. Around 60% of students you’ll see signs that say ‘stay six feet apart.’ are planning to do hybrid learning, while around 40% Bell Schedule will remain entirely online. (starting March 2) About 100 students chose to not attend McLean this 8:20-9:45 1st/2nd year. The hybrid schedule allows for enough classroom 3rd/Highlander Time 9:55-11:15 space to accommodate every student who opted for Lunch A 11:15-11:45 hybrid learning, but limited 5th/6th 11:45-1:15 capacity in each classroom makes it difficult for online 5th/6th 11:25-11:45 students to change their choice. Lunch B 11:45-12:15 “Students are able to 12:15-1:15 5th/6th turn to virtual school, but it’s difficult to switch to in5th/6th 11:25-12:15 person because it depends 12:15-12:45 Lunch C on how many seats are in each class,” Principal Ellen 12:45-1:15 5th/6th Reilly said. 5th/6th 11:25-12:45 In addition to the seating capacity, numerous 12:45-1:15 Lunch D mitigation measures are in 7th/8th place in the building. Along 1:25-2:50 with mandatory social Infographics & page design by Heran Essayas
