Last week, many people were exposed to Covid-19 throughout the high school building. Jayden Moomey was asked to be interviewed about being quarantined. When asked how do you feel about being quarantined, Moomey said, “Not great, being put at home is fine, but it doesn’t feel as if the school/school board/Panhandle Health is operating with everyone’s health as a priority.” When asked if he likes Zoom, Moomey responded, “I’d rather be at school because it gets really boring at home.”

 When asked while you have been quarantined has it affected your grades, Moomey explained, “No, not particularly.” When asked if quarantine should be longer than a week, Moomey responded, “I think school should mandate masks for everyone.”

Mrs. Brandy Stark was also asked to be interviewed. When asked is it harder to teach kids on Zoom, Mrs. Stark says, “I think there is a loss of relationship building on Zoom. I do not think it is harder to teach using zoom as a tool. That being said, I do feel that the human touch is missing because we are not face-to-face.” 

When asked if she liked Zoom, Mrs. Stark explained,  “Zoom is just a tool to use to facilitate learning and keep moving forward. It is an opportunity to further a student’s education. Zoom allows us to provide an education during this situation. If Zoom (or another tool) were not available, then students would have to be repeating grade levels and have to wait to graduate. This tool allows us to progress and keep learning flowing.”

When asked if she thought quarantine should be longer than a week, Mrs. Stark stated, “Honestly, I do not know what I think about the 10-day and 14-day quarantine situations, but, whether I agree or disagree is out of my hands. PPHD determines who goes home, for how long, and why. It is my job to try to keep all of my students safe while in my classroom, which is why desks are wiped down, I wear a mask, desks are spread apart, and I keep my distance.” 

When asked would you rather teach kids on Zoom or in school, Mrs. Stark said, “I personally prefer to teach in person; however, given the situation that we are all in, I am glad that Zoom is available to keep in touch with my students. Without access to Zoom, this would be a complete disaster, and education would basically come to a stand still. So while there is still the ‘threat’ of health concerns for all involved, I will do my part to serve those that are in my classroom and those at home.”

My conclusion is that it seems that the few people I interviewed were all in agreement that regular school is better than online. With that said, they also seem to be all in agreement that at least they can still attend school in a way.

The SPUD wishes everyone a healthy school year – whether that be on zoom or not!