It had been two years since the infamous quarantine and the effects still linger on. If you’re a junior, then the first year of high school was 180 straight days of Google Meets. At least they were half-a-days, but they definitely never felt like it. What’s more, even if you were a good student and tried to pay attention, learning in general was stunted, which made actually coming here for the first time last year pretty tough. Now though, new changes are afoot, and normalcy has made a slow but appreciated return.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Principal Richardson, and finding out all the upcoming plans for this year. Masks were but one of several issues for students last year, but the Board of Education, as well as Head Nurse Ms. Mead, agreed that the mask mandate can finally be rescinded. It is recommended however to wear one if sick, or better yet to stay home. Generally the quarantine policy has stayed the same, with the student having to remain home for 5 days, and also wear a mask to school for another 5 days as an added precaution.

Another hotbed issue is the Dress-Down Days. Mrs. Richardson noted that several students were wearing clothing that did not fit the dress code, and a few were even sent home at the entrance. After several emails were sent home asking parents to make sure their child dressed appropriately, there was no change in student behavior. A decision was made to cancel dress down for the upcoming school year.  

However a small reintroduction campaign will begin soon. In October, there will be a district wide dress down day. It is the administration’s hope that students will wear appropriate clothing. If all goes well, more and more dress down days will be announced.  With the lack of consistent income, many clubs and school events have had to make do in other ways. Mrs.Richardson suggests that clubs present their  fundraising ideas and she will happily go over it and see if it can be worked out. 

Another change for students and teachers alike is a move to a more consistent grading policy across subjects.  This was in an effort to assist students in properly managing their assignments, and allowing them to balance the workload and reduce general stress to complete everything. For teachers, this allows them much needed consistency in grading students, reducing pressure on both sides of the school.

As Kearny High School moves forward past the pandemic hopefully this talk of quarantine and covid will be a far off memory. For now though, students are asked to be careful and to stay safe, as even now the virus is still relatively active. As a new year comes ever closer, we can all do our part for KHS and make this school year the best it can be.