On Monday, February 28, students across the school district had the option to not wear a face mask indoors for the first time since March 12, 2020. Students streamed inside the buildings, talking to their friends without masks muffling their voices, and greeting school staff with wide, visible smiles.
Human expressions have been hidden behind masks for the past 24 months; a small but very real consequence of the global pandemic. It’s fair to say that most students had never seen the entirety of their teachers’ faces. Watching teachers’ mouths move as they explain new topics, make jokes, or answer questions makes a world of a difference in student-teacher connections and conversations.
For freshmen and sophomores, these last few weeks have been their first normal weeks of high school. In 2020 or 2021, they conquered a new school, unfamiliar teachers, and more than 1,300 peers either through a computer screen or in-person with masks on.
The district applauded our adaptability and self-advocacy that enable us to be successful as we navigated unprecedented times. With restrictions easing, students can feel even more connected to both staff and each other.
While the Courant appreciates the safety that masks provided against the pandemic, we are grateful for the mask optional policy, which indicates a world that is progressing back to normalcy.
This mask-optional progression within our school communities would not have been possible without the outstanding work, dedication, and support of superintendent Dr. Bryan Luizzi and additional staff across each level and school in the district. From the Charting our Course website, to Centers for Disease Control updates, mitigation strategies, and even the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons attached to some emails, the work that was done to ensure transparency and safety in our public schools falls nothing short of phenomenal.
As we transition into the last three months of the 2021-2022 school year, there is much to look forward to. The underclassmen spring dance was held on March 4, the Little Mermaid production will be held in the auditorium this weekend, the junior and senior proms are quickly approaching, and the senior class will be off to their internships shortly thereafter. For the first time in two years, we celebrate the luxury that each of these events was or will be mask-optional.
May we all cherish the remarkable progress that has been made so far as we move forward together. Until then, let us live by the word of Dr. Luizzi: Onward!
