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What’s New on Campus at STE?

By Mary-Ellen Abshire, Saint Thomas' Episcopal School, School Buzz Editor | September 22, 2020

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Heidi Tamm, Mary Kate Corso, Hannah Smith,

Juniors (pictured, from left) Heidi Tamm, Mary Kate Corso and Hannah Smith catch up after school.

On Sept. 8, many students from St. Thomas’ Episcopal transitioned from online to in-person school while others chose to continue online learning for the semester. This year will be like no other.

To help students stay safe, STE put up plexiglass dividers in between desks, a line down the hallway to encourage students to walk on their side of the hallway, hand sanitizer stations, temperaturec hecks, touch free water stations, signs to encourage students to go up one staircase and down the other, and, of course, face masks! Altogether this is a lot different than the school experience in previous years, students are grateful to interact with their peers and teachers after six months of isolation.

Donovan Burke, a junior, commented, “The transition from online to in-person was weird as I was already used to online school and the changed schedule that comes with it.” Although the change was weird, Donovan was especially grateful to see his friends as he hadn’t seen them in a long time. He also appreciated in-school learning more than the online experience because of the lack of class participation in online learning. He wasn’t surprised with any of the new changes and agrees that they will help keep people safe and stop the spread of COVID-19.

Savannah Hart, a freshman, was a little nervous to go back from online to in-person school, because she thought the classes would be more difficult than the online classes. She was mostly excited to see her friends and socialize after a long break from school. Savannah is especially thankful that she can continue playing volleyball at STE even though it’s a little different than previous years.

As for the changes in school, Savannah is happy with the changes, because she can interact with others, while still keeping everyone safe. One of the hardest parts of the changes for her is communication between the teachers and the students in class. With masks on, it’s a lot harder to hear what everyone is saying. “I’m looking forward to being able to be around people without masks, because I want to get to know new people,” Savannah said.

Overal,l students were happy with the new rules and guidelines. Wherever you are learning these days, remember to stay safe, so we can help stop the spread of coronavirus one plexiglass divider at a time.