By Peter Karim ‘23
On March 15, as we all know, Saint Ignatius will be returning to a full schedule, leaving behind the half-day schedule we have had for the majority of this year. With COVID taking over our lives for the past year, it is a sigh of relief to return back to a full day schedule that we are used to. Even though we will return fully, many still question if it is a safe decision.
One of the main reasons returning to a full schedule March 15 is a good decision is because the COVID-19 cases in the school have gone down consistently in the past month at Ignatius and will continue to go down now that teachers will have been vaccinated. Dr. Fior does not want to put Ignatius in danger and is making all of his decisions in the best interest of the school. All of the necessary precautions that need to be taken have been taken. Masks are being worn, desks are wiped down, students are socially distanced, etc. and there is no reason to believe that implementing a full schedule would put students at any greater risk than students practicing sports or doing other activities away from school.
Finally, Ignatius really just needs to get acclimated to a full schedule once again. It has been over a year since Ignatius students have had a full day schedule and freshmen have not even experienced a full day of classes on campus. In my case and in the case of many students, we have become used to being able to sleep in consistently every other day. Having the last couple of months of school being kind of normal will allow students to start smoothly next year.
A full day schedule will also allow students and staff to work out any difficulties that might arise for once again, a smoother start next year. This full day schedule will also allow students to catch up with their friends on the other side of the alphabet and give seniors a partially normal end to their high school careers.
Overall, there are many benefits to having a full day schedule and no large concerns to not having it. The school should be safe and in the worst case scenario, Zoom classes are still an option. Additionally, if parents are deeply worried about their children’s health, they have the prerogative to keep them online. In the end, a full day schedule will benefit the school and that is why full return on March 15th was the right decision.
