With all of the changes made this school year, schedule changing has been the biggest difficulty for many students and teachers. OHS has had five different schedules since the beginning of this school year. With the pandemic still going on, nobody really knows what the next week, month, or year will look like. 

Beginning Tuesday, March 9, all OHS students began attending school on campus Tuesday through Friday following the regular block schedule. Mondays will continue to be virtual days. The high school is trying its best to get everyone back in person. 

Coming back to school four days a week with the block schedule makes life seem normal again and has many benefits. This is the first schedule this school year that is close to what a normal year would look like, but with precautions. 

“I am so excited that we are going back to an in-person four-day week schedule. I think it is important for our students to be in the building not only for learning purposes but also to reconnect with their peers,” said FACS teacher Ms. Kristen Giordano. 

Alyssa Timmons (12) is also happy to be back.  “Forty-five minute classes feel super rushed, so going back almost full time and having normal class periods will really be helpful,” Timmons said. “It’s also exciting to be able to see all of my friends, not just the ones that are there on my cohort’s day.”

Although the new schedule benefits the learning aspect, some teachers and students are a little worried about COVID. 

“I like the new schedule and am looking forward to it. However, I am afraid of having too many students in my classroom. COVID scares me,” said OHS marketing teacher Ms. Amy Clark.

“The only concerns I have with the schedule is being able to re-adapt back to having a classroom full of students after getting used to smaller class sizes,” Giordano said. “I hope we are able to maintain the schedule after going through so many changes.” 

Now that the new schedule is in place, some students have mixed feelings about the return to school.

“The new schedule was easy to get used to, but the bigger problem was adjusting my life outside of school.” said Tony Mijatovic (12). “I’ve adjusted my work schedule five times this school year… and it’s getting annoying.”

“Sometimes it is a little crowded in the hallways,” Macy Kimble (12) said, “but overall I’m happy to be back and I like the block scheduling.”

“My work schedule was already set in stone, meaning I was scheduled during the weekdays. It was hard for me this week finding coverage for my job,” said senior Grant Cracchiolo. “I wish the school could have told us this sooner than later.” 

Overall, going back to school four days a week will get students back involved in their classes more and slowly coming back to normal. They hope to stay that way while still being aware of the COVID precautions.