West Ada students enjoy ‘fresh start’ as school year begins — with some mask resistance
Students in the West Ada School District went back to the classroom Thursday for their first day less than 36 hours after the district’s board changed its reopening plan to require masks — with an option for parents to opt out their children.
At Owyhee High School, a new school that opened this year, hundreds of students walked through the hallways on their first day — some with masks but also many without — ready to begin the new year in what they hoped would be a far more normal environment than their last.
Students at Owyhee said they were excited to learn at a new school, where they could meet their classmates and teachers in person.
Liv Mortensen, a freshman last year, said it was hard starting high school and not being able to “settle in” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything was constantly changing, she said.
“It was hard to make friends, especially, because we all had to be spread out and social distanced and wear a mask in classrooms, so it was a difficult year,” she said. “But I’m glad that I can come to Owyhee to get a fresh start.”
Students and teachers said they were also looking forward to creating their own traditions at Owyhee.
“We can make it our own. It’s up to us to kind of decide that,” said Nicholas Warnecke, student council advisor and speech teacher. “But we just need to be very considerate of what legacy we want to start and what type of culture we want to build here.”
A change in policy
Less than two days before thousands of students in Idaho’s largest school district returned to the classroom, the district’s board held a more than five-hour meeting, where dozens of people gave impassioned public comment for and against a mask mandate. During the meeting, trustees approved a new policy requiring masks for students and teachers. But parents who didn’t want their kids to wear a mask were given the chance to opt out.
The board’s decision came as COVID-19 cases have been surging in Idaho and across the country. During the meeting Tuesday, the board heard from two St. Luke’s Health System doctors who recommended the district start the year with a mask mandate if leaders wanted to keep kids in school every day, in person.
On Wednesday, thousands of parents stood in line at the West Ada School District office to exempt their children from wearing a face covering.
The issue of masks has spurred controversy in the district for months. A large group of parents have been fighting for a mask-optional policy, saying they should be the ones who decide which safety protocols their kids follow, and citing data on low hospitalization and death rates for children.
People who have supported a mask mandate have argued they are a tool to help slow the spread of the virus and keep their kids and the community safe — especially for kids who are younger than 12 and don’t yet have the option to get vaccinated.
At Owyhee, many students said they were happy to have the chance to opt out of the requirement. They wanted to be able to see the faces of their classmates. But they also said the way the district did it, at the last minute, was confusing.
Some students said they would be wearing masks since they play sports and didn’t want to quarantine if they were exposed. According to the district’s quarantine policy, if a person is exposed in the classroom but was wearing a mask at the time, they can continue school and work-related activities as long as they wear a mask for 10 days and monitor their symptoms.
Jack Payne, a senior, said his dad submitted the opt-out form so he didn’t have to wear a mask, but members of his basketball team would probably make the decision to wear masks during the season to avoid potentially having to sit out games.
Other students said that they had a right to choose what they wore and that it was frustrating for students who were vaccinated to have to go back to wearing a mask, after they had stopped in most situations.
Having fewer people wearing masks made it feel more like the start of a normal year, said Halle Hanchett, a sophomore.
“It’s kind of a relief, because last year was crazy,” she said. “It seems more like a school year vs. last year, when it was totally chaotic.”
Last year, students said, it was also difficult to form relationships with people when everyone was wearing masks and they had to distance from their classmates.
“That’s the type of stuff that I’m worried about,” Warnecke said. “And obviously, no one planned for COVID to last this long. And it’s really unfortunate.”
He’s hopeful the pandemic goes in the right direction, but he said he’ll do whatever it takes to stay in school.
“I really enjoy school, and if we have to wear masks or monkey suits or whatever, I’m going to do that,” he said. “I really want to get to know these kids. And so, we’ll try it. We’ll find a way, whatever we got to do.”
A new school
Students had mixed feelings about being at a brand-new school. Some were excited; others didn’t want to leave their original school.
“I had a really hard time accepting the fact that I was going to be going here,” said Megan Haws, a sophomore.
She’s on the soccer team, she said, and being part of that team and environment has helped her adjust.
Other students said it was exciting to be in a building where everything was new and updated.
On Thursday, the students attended an assembly to mark the first day of the year. Going into it, Warnecke wasn’t sure what it would be like. It was outside in a huge space, he said, which makes it harder to generate energy — and there were those students who were upset about having to leave their old school.
“So I was interested on how they would respond to an assembly (at) a school that they were not sure that they really want to be a part of yet,” he said.
Throughout the assembly, the energy picked up as the dance team performed and the coaches came out, he said.
Warnecke said he was looking forward to getting to interact with his students this year, and to build an environment in the new school of “inclusivity and togetherness.”
“I think we have the students and we have the staff that are capable of creating a fun culture that is welcoming,” he said.
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 2:48 PM.
