Here in the South Gibson community, the coronavirus directly impacted education before the first quarter came to an end. As the third full week of school began at Gibson Southern, more cases of coronavirus began to surface. 

On the evening of Monday, September 2, students were ordered to proceed with school virtually until further notice. The number of students found affected by positive cases after contact tracing played a big factor in the decision to stay out of the classroom. Roughly 35 students were sent home due to sitting less than a six foot radius of a student with a confirmed positive case. 

“I was very disappointed when I found I had to be quarantined for two weeks from everyone,” freshman Ryann Smith said. “Being out of sports was very disheartening, and catching up with my classes made it no easier.”

Talk of moving to a hybrid model arose during the week of virtual learning, and the decision was made to transition later in the week.

“The decision to go hybrid made being caught up in contact tracing a bit easier since everyone else was in a similar situation in a way,” sophomore Ethan Spindler said. “All of my teachers have made it go as smooth as possible so far, so that makes things a lot better.”

Students are finding that this is a strange time in their lives with the changes to traditional learning practices. It will take time to adjust and get used to going virtual or navigating evolving hybrid models. 

“While it (virtual school) is a challenge, it also provides a chance for people to improve their knowledge on technology,” agriculture teacher Jessie Mraz said. “Hopefully the knowledge we are gaining will prepare us for all of the technological advances we will see in the future.” 

As of right now, all anyone can do is proceed on with their lives and be flexible – continue to follow the guidelines that have been given. One can hope that with the hybrid model of learning, the number of students impacted by contact tracing diminishes and school will go back to normal.