‘A really good feeling’: A year into pandemic, Boise students enjoy in-person school
Thousands of students in the Boise School District went back into classrooms Monday as in-person learning kicked off on a full-time basis — the first time since March 13, 2020, that Boise students at every grade level were back in class at the same time.
For this school year, Boise and other districts have mostly used a hybrid model that featured students in classrooms two days a week and learning remotely the rest of the time. Each week has started with online learning for the past several months, with students then alternating between online and in-person classes the other four days.
“This is the first Monday that our kids have, you know, been in the building this year,” said Deborah Watts, the principal at Riverglen Junior High School on Gary Lane. “It was just so exciting to see them streaming in this morning with their masks on, ready to go, just excited to be in school.”
Boise students in kindergarten through sixth grade returned to five days a week on March 9, and now junior high and high school students are joining them in school after the district’s spring break.
Even with COVID-19 safety measures in place, Watts said it felt the way the first day of school each fall used to feel for students and staff. She said students are following coronavirus procedures and parents have been supportive.
Watts, along with other school administrators and teachers, said Monday that they’re optimistic about having the remainder of the school year consist of in-person learning, although there are some students who will complete the spring with remote classes. Months ago, parents and students had the option of choosing virtual schooling until the summer break.
Keliah Stith, a ninth-grader at North Junior High School in Boise’s North End, said the start of the day was a little hectic, but it felt nice to start thinking about a normal schedule.
“Now that we’re back in school full time, it is definitely a lot easier,” Keliah said. “If we want to talk to our teacher one-on-one, we don’t have to go to a separate (Google) Meet or have that teacher tell us that thing for the entire class to hear.”
For North students Olive Boyd, a seventh-grader, and Acacia Snyder, an eighth-grader, being in class full time means better concentration on schoolwork — without having to stare at a computer screen.
“It’s a really good feeling coming to school and being able to interact with your classmates and teachers,” Olive said.
Acacia said: “All of my teachers have been super ecstatic to go back to school full time. And most of the kids are very, very excited, too.”
At Grace Jordan Elementary, third-grade teacher Leslee Hill welcomed students back from spring break Monday morning. She said she saw a substantial difference in the children’s confidence.
“The students were so excited to see each other in person,” Hill told the Statesman. “You could see that they really miss their friends.”
The Boise district’s board of trustees unanimously approved the plan in February to bring students back to classes five days a week. At the time, school board President Dave Wagers thanked parents, students and staff for their input on the decision.
Starting this week in the neighboring West Ada School District — the state’s largest — students in grades 6-12 will have virtual learning on Mondays, but have the option of online class or in-person learning for the remainder of the week. Members of West Ada’s board have said in previous meetings that the “Remote Monday” schedule has helped significantly with contact tracing.
Jeff Roberts, the principal at North Junior High, noted to the Statesman that there have not been very many cases of coronavirus spread in schools in Idaho, but said it’s still up to administrators and teachers to follow safety protocols and do everything they can to keep students and staff healthy.
With the number of vaccinated people increasing and the number of infections falling, Roberts said he’s hopeful Boise can finish the school year on this schedule.
“Nothing works as well as having kids in classrooms,” Roberts said.
This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 5:27 PM.
