With Covid cases rising at an alarming rate after the holidays, it makes all us wonder: how will this affect our school? I sat down with Mr. Will and Mrs. Sisil to address this question. The two of them said that they do not see the rise leading to any school shutdowns. In fact, the state of Illinois said that they do not want schools to shut down until it is a last resort. The only worry they have is the lack of bus drivers; Mr. Will told me that if push comes to shove, he will drive a bus. “We will wear many hats before we shut down” is what Mrs. Sisil, who already wears a couple of hats being superintended and PGS principal, told me. It is good to hear that, overall, we will not be going remote, and we will continue to be able to see our classmates.

As for clubs and sports, I spoke to some teachers about their concerns and not many seemed very worried. Mrs. Hyde’s main concern at the moment is the field trips. The Drama Club had planned on going to the Fox Theater, but they had to postpone the trip due to Covid. If all goes well, they will go see a show later on in the year. Her English IV class always goes to Chicago, but you have to prove that you are vaccinated to go to many places in Chicago. This has put a pause on their trip for now. As for the spring play, the show must go on. There is no worries that there will be any issues with the play.

Mr. Blank told me that they have already had to reschedule a girls’ basketball game against Ramsey High School because they had too many girls out out. “I’m just glad my girls are healthy, and I hope they stay that way” is what Mr. Blank told me as far as how the team was being affected.

Although Mr. Ochs is leaving, I’ve been told his wife Mrs. Ochs is taking the scholastic bowl team. The team has had one meet canceled because of high Covid numbers in other schools. A big downside is that “the teams are smaller, and the crowds are also smaller” is what Mr. Ochs told me.

Ms. Cutright’s History Club takes a trip every year, and I asked her if she thought the rise in cases was going to affect her trip. She said, “as of now we are still going to the Grand Canyon. The students did a great job at choosing somewhere outside.” She also said that she was glad they had not chosen a big city or a museum where things might get shut down.