Three years ago, we were released on our Spring Break, not knowing that some of us would return a year later. Within those years that seemed to have flashed by in a blink of an eye, we developed vaccines along with new procedures to ensure safety in our daily lives. While schools had to adjust their education to fit students attending in-person or virtually, students also had to find balance between school and daily life in the midst of a pandemic.
Remote Learning
By Leo Gordon
In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of returning to schools has become one of political, social and medical consequence. Globally, millions of students are learning from home, and locally, out of the over 35,000 students enrolled in Sarasota County Schools, 10,160 chose to attend school remotely this fall.
On top of the learning environment changes associated with attending school at home rather than on campus, many Pine View students describe the technology linked to remote learning as one of the most consequential changes in their learning experience.
“It’s been tough trying to work through a system where there’s much less social interaction and engagement than usual,” twelfth-grader Krisha Dhimar said. “The worst part is that the technology involved in remote learning makes me feel less motivated.”
A direct result of the rise of remote learning, the popularity of video conferencing sites like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams has surged exponentially since last year. Zoom alone has experienced a thirtyfold increase in its number of daily users since December.
Despite its popularity, many teachers, new to the virtual educational sphere, find the software necessary but difficult to use.
“The biggest difficulty for me has been keeping Zoom kids engaged during labs,” AP Biology and Biotechnology teacher Angela Keiper said. “I felt like I was going to be able to make it work, but it hasn’t been as easy or successful as I thought it’d be.”
Some students, overwhelmed by the stark contrast between remote and in-person learning, decided to enroll in physical classes after having started virtually.
“I felt as if I wasn’t fully and effectively participating in the classroom as much as the in-person students were, and I was more prone to distractions,” twelfth-grader Noah Kunkel said.
Ultimately, though it comes with its own set of issues, the additional safety offered to students and families by remote learning is, according to some students, worth the cost.
“Remote learning is the best option for my family because my dad works in the medical field. Even with precautions in place, if I were exposed at school, myself, my family, and my dad’s patients would be at risk,” twelfth-grader Kate Haggarty, who plans on attending school remotely until second semester, said.
In-Person Learning
By Gabriele Navickis
In an effort to keep the classroom safe, sanitary and practical, Pine View, like all Sarasota County schools, has implemented new protocols. While these efforts serve to adapt to new challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, not all these changes are visible to the student.
One of the more noticeable changes on campus has been the addition of clear desk dividers, which creates an additional barrier between students and staff. Implemented in every school in the county, they offer even more protection from germs and bacteria on top of masks and social distancing guidelines. These new physical protectants have received different reactions from students. In a poll of 16 students from grades nine to 12, 15 out of 16 said that they do not feel safer with the added shields and feel that they serve no real purpose.
“We always lean back or aren’t directly behind them, so they don’t really do anything” ninth-grader Ella Pappas said.
While there are varying opinions on the effectiveness of shields, they remain part of county protocol and will remain in classes until further notice.
A less noticeable change on campus has been the campus-wide application of OMNI Shield OS 75 Antimicrobial Protectant, an antimicrobial surface coating designed to stop the growth of odor and stain-causing bacteria on almost any surface. The product claims to provide “persistent and continuous surface protection” and is now being sprayed onto benches, desks, desk dividers, the elementary playground, picnic tables, doors, and more every sixty to ninety days. Soon the school will start spraying computer labs with the coating, too. This is to ensure that any potentially harmful germs or bacteria left behind by students will be eliminated, helping to further prevent spread of the virus.
“It’s being sprayed on all surfaces including doors, walls, tables, everything and typically every ninety days is when it is applied,” Pine View Middle School Assistant Principal Melissa Abe-la said.
With masks, shields, constant wiping and cleaning, comes a new way of life for students, teachers, administration, and the custodial staff. There continue to be new implementations and changes within classrooms as new challenges occur with the transfer of in-person and remote students. The county, Pine View, and all students and staff will likely have to continue to adapt into the distant future as the virus waxes and wanes.
For now, Pine View’s motto for the year serves to remind students of this principle: “Individually, we are one drop Together, we are an ocean.”