Returning to School: What Students have to Say

He added, “I’ll wear a mask if it means I get to come to school.”

Cranberry School District, like every other school, is enforcing social distancing guidelines including, but not limited to, mandatory six feet separation, face masks, and other health and safety changes. 

One sizable adjustment students face is a schedule change; students typically have eight forty minute periods. Cranberry has shifted to “block scheduling,” which changes those eight periods to four. In total, it will take two days to complete a full day of classes. Students have mixed reactions about this.

Elizabeth Sisco said, “I actually think that with the longer classes, it makes up for the half schedule and we should actually be able to get more done when we have our classes.” 

An underclassman, Ashton Weaver, added, “I don’t think Covid is going to affect group learning all that much. I feel some kids might have a harder time learning on their own though.” 

Overall, students seem excited to return and feel these rules won’t drastically affect their ability to learn.

In addition to everyday classes, sports are significant to a large portion of the students at Cranberry who not only play, but also share the experience of gathering and watching these events with their friends. For a while, having a sports season was in question, but recently, Cranberry’s school board voted for fall sports to be in session with distancing rules in effect. The only downside of this decision is the restriction on spectators. 

Kiefer stated that he is glad the band is there to hype up the team, but it won’t be the same without a crowd and his parents watching.

When asked about the new changes, Weaver mentioned that “his own personal goals” are put into question due to the rules. 

Russell, a co-op varsity football player on Oil City’s team, said, “It's making me see just how much the structure we’re used to can change.” Keeping his positive attitude intact, Russell also mentioned, “It’s better to play than not.” 

While it seems the fall sports season is saved for now, the winter and spring sports are still in question.

Seniors at cranberry have made it pretty clear they are “bummed out.” Multiple students have mentioned their uncertainty for the typical senior events. 

“I hope we don’t miss our senior trip; I just don’t see us having one,” Andrea Ziegler admitted.

Looking toward the long term with graduation on his mind, Russell noted, “I feel our year could be limited, and this might cause our schooling to be incomplete this time.” 

The year is uncertain for sure, but students and parents alike can be comforted by the fact that the administration, teachers, and staff at Cranberry have made the best case scenario out of a pretty unfortunate situation.