This school year has truly been one to remember. A number of things have changed from September to now, not only at GCDS but also in the world. While in September everyone was starting the school year with masks and social distancing, a lot has changed since then. Now, regulations are becoming more relaxed and as summer approaches,  and everyone’s excitement levels have been rising. One major change from September to June has been the GCDS schedule. Scheduling has changed a number of times throughout the school year, but the biggest change has been from hybrid learning to fully in-person learning. 

Back in September, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors would come into school for only 2 or 3 days a week. The remaining days of school were completed in the comfort of students’ homes through a computer screen. Though zooming was a pain at times, many students enjoyed the hybrid schedule. They got to see friends and teachers in person for a couple of days, and then, just when school would get tiring, they were able to sleep in and zoom into classes. Because of this schedule, sophomores and freshmen were never in-person at the same time, meaning that the 2 grades never saw each other until the hybrid schedule changed. “I honestly loved hybrid learning. I think I probably liked it more than I like full in-person classes,” said a 10th-grade student. At the time, it felt impossible to even think about being fully in school 5 days a week. However, many students did not enjoy the hybrid schedules in the slightest. “The hybrid schedule made me so unproductive, so I didn’t really like it,” said a 9th-grade student. Whether students liked it or not, the hybrid schedule did not stay for too long.

Eventually, Dr. Winters and the rest of the administration team decided that the school had found enough success in the COVID protocol, and decided to have students come into school 4 days a week. For a couple of weeks, each grade would come in-person to the building 4 days every week. When that trial was a success, administrators came to the decision that it was safe for all students to begin in-person learning all days of the week, every week. Around the time of spring break, students were now prepared to go into school completely for the first time in a year. 

Now, as the school year is coming to an end, COVID regulations have relaxed, vaccinations have risen, and students remain fully in-person. Students are now completely adjusted to fully in-person learning, and for the most part, have been finding success in this. “I thought that coming back to school full time was so much better than staying hybrid because we were able to really connect with each other and it finally felt like I was a part of the GCDS community again,” an 11th grader stated in an interview. Most students were happy to be fully back at school because they were able to see friends and teachers more often. With the COVID regulations relaxing, students were excited to see that there was now some more room for GCDS to hold events like graduation and prom. Even being outside without a mask on was a relief for most students, because it finally felt like some normality was returning. Not only did social lives improve, but many students also agree that in-person classes benefitted them as learners as well. They were able to meet with teachers more often and feel much more comfortable in their classes. Although some students do miss the hybrid classes a little bit, it was difficult to find anyone saying something negative about school life now. 

As we look back and compare the GCDS schedule from September to June, there have been massive changes. GCDS students and faculty have done an excellent job in adapting to these changes, especially the schedule changes, but it is still shocking to look back and see how much has changed.