With the year getting back into the swing of things, a few Effies and E-flats have a few things to share about their opinions on our school safety protocol regarding COVID-19 compared to their elementary school. 

For the current Walnut Effies, COVID first struck during the end of their 5th grade year. One member of the  class of 2027, Lyad Lidiri, tells that the end of his 5th grade year at Mariemont elementary school got quite a revision once the virus came out.

“We had to wear masks, our tables were 6 feet away and when we first went back in person there were blue and gold groups. Where one week blue would get to stay in school and the next week gold would get to,” Lidiri said. “To be honest, I liked online because during recess I got to play on my phone.”

However, not all Effies agreed with Lidiri’s enjoyment of the online experience. One student, Will Koehn, ‘27 from Annunciation Catholic School, appreciated his in-school time much more than online.

When asked if he preferred online to in school, “Not really because I wouldn’t be able to make any new friends”, Koehn said. “I didn’t really like being online because I’m a visual learner and I like to look at things;  that’s how I learn.” 

When COVID hit,  the current E-flats were finishing their last year in elementary school. Many students, like Muhammad Drammeh,‘26, a football player from TCP World Academy, missed out on the full experience of becoming an eagle and leaving a school they’ve been at since kindergarten. 

“It’s pretty difficult to focus, there’s like that option to be on your phone and the teachers can’t really do anything about it,” Drammeh said.

While most say that google meets came with the difficulty of paying attention, Maeve Mohler, ‘26 believes otherwise. Though her grades remained the same and she much preferred in school to online because of her friends, she found it easier to concentrate behind the screen.

“I feel like it was easier to pay attention because no one was there to distract me,” Mohler said. “In school I can just talk with my friends, but online it’s like I have nothing else to do so might as well.” 

This year at WHHS, masks are still mandatory and social distancing is encouraged. Thankfully, COVID-19 seems to be winding down just a little so we don’t have to be as harsh in our protocol, but that does not mean we shouldn’t still be safe.

Mohler ends with a few parting words for her peers, saying, “Wear your mask, don’t be an idiot.”