What next year will look like is still unclear as many things really depend on the status of vaccines and COVID by fall. However, as COVID seems to be getting better in the county and all students in high school have the option to get the vaccine, we are hoping that next school year will be as normal as possible. 

This school year is coming to an end and graduation for class of 2021 is Wednesday. The school has also found a way to honor the class of 2020 who did not receive a graduation due to COVID last year. On Saturday the school will hold a graduation for all classes of 2020 who can attend. This is just one way the school is working to bring some normalcy back to students’ lives. 

We will be continuing the block schedule with four classes each semester. This will allow for students to gain more credits in a year from up to eight classes rather than the usual six. We have yet to see how this will affect students academically as this year has been different in many ways and a lot of the change in students is due to COVID. Counselors are working hard to fit everyone’s electives and required classes into this new schedule. With this new schedule we will most likely see more early graduates as students can complete their academic requirement sooner with more room in their schedule. The bell schedule is still being approved so the majority of students won’t know until fall. 

For the incoming freshman, academies all across the district will no longer require an application process. Incoming freshmen just have to sign up for the 9th grade classes in the academy and it will work on a first come first serve basis as to who can get in. The change is to help reach more students who are interested in the academy but who might not have as much experience. It will be interesting to see how this affects the academy’s student body and academic experience. 

The policy for lunch next year has not been decided on. In past years all grades had open campus, this year was supposed to change to only upperclassmen having open campus but due to COVID this never happened. As we started going back on campus, no one was allowed off campus at any time if they were coming back on campus later in hopes to prevent the spread of COVID in school. However, if things are looking better by next year we may see a change in this rule and lunch may look more like how it has in past years. 

As you can see, very little is known about next year not just for the students but administration as well. Sadly, none of us have much control over what next school year will look like as it really comes down to how COVID is looking. We as students can however help by getting vaccinated and keeping safe to help the spread of COVID. We are all hoping for a more normal and safe next school year.