With the spreading of COVID-19 after Christmas Break, Sion returns to the mask mandate for all students and on Monday, Jan. 10 and Tuesday, Jan. 11, students went to connected learning. 

“The COVID communications team facilitated that change. It’s based on the changes that happened to the recommendations from the CDC, and an overall increase in numbers,” Assistant Principal Jennifer Brown-Howerton said. 

Even though there is a mask mandate, requiring all students to wear masks at all times, as of the time this report was written, Sion has 17 positive cases(6%) and 43(15%) quarantined due to exposure, meaning that 26% of students were out of school. There is also a shift in vaccination requirements. If one is over eighteen years of age, they cannot consider themselves fully vaccinated until they have the booster shot, but if one is not, they need to be within six months of their second shot to be fully vaccinated.

Senior Lydia Poe, who was in quarantine at the time said, “It’s one thing to protect students, but also another to leave the masks on for too long. I think it should be about personal choice rather than focusing on vaccinated versus unvaccinated. That is your choice, and if you don’t want to wear a mask, that’s on you. It’s[the mask mandate] taking away your personal choice a little bit.”

Poe also expressed disappointment from the students that some thought that since they were vaccinated, they wouldn’t have to wear a mask, but they do. Brown-Howerton expressed the same concern, but also expressed that some students feel safer, given the increasing numbers. On a higher note, both want everything to just go back to the way it was pre-pandemic.

“In the last couple of years, it’s really been a struggle with student morale. As long as we’re in school, it helps so much. When we did online learning, it was hard on people’s mental health. We all need that personal connection in our lives. I think this year was better because we could gather and bring back some of those traditions.” Brown-Howerton said. 

Poe believes Sion cannot stay in this “state of emergency” forever, so she would love to bring back the traditions she saw when she was a freshman, as well as connect with the underclassmen. Senior Caroline Renner expresses that she would love to have Civies Day’s, not just for the warmth in the winter, but also to boost school spirit, and enjoyment.

Renner said, “I feel like Sion has been doing a really good job of keeping up with COVID and handling it in a way that will keep everyone safe. And have us be able to keep learning, and not put everyone at risk.”