With impromptu quarantines being caused by pending test results and sick family members, many students have started off the spring semester online from home. 

“I had to be quarantined because I was exposed to someone who had tested positive,” sophomore Cheyanne Tull said. “I had to get tested with the nose swab, which was uncomfortable, and prove my negative results before I could come back to school.” 

Most students are having to quarantine due to sick family members rather than being actually sick themselves. Although students said they felt that online school was easier, they still said they prefer to attend in-person classes. 

“[Online classes] are a hassle,” junior Derrick Smith. “You can’t always hear what is going on in the classroom, and it’s really hard to be a part of group discussions or activities. The teachers tried to check on my progress and what I was doing. I wouldn’t want to go back to online classes.” 

Smith was quarantined during the fall semester and returned to school for the last two days of finals, but Tull was quarantined the first two days of the spring semester.

“I really disliked online classes because the teachers weren’t very engaging. Because I couldn’t be involved in the discussions I got my work done a lot quicker though,” Tull said.

While some students are quarantined for family positive tests, some students actually contracted the virus. 

“My symptoms were being really lightheaded, super tired, sneezing more than coughing, and a light fever,” said freshman Anthony Reep. “I was sick for four days. I think I lost my taste and smell, but I didn’t really notice.”

Smith had similar symptoms.

“I didn’t get tested, but I knew I had it because my sisters did and I lost my taste and smell,” Smith said. “Mostly I just had cold like symptoms and it wasn’t too bad. My taste came back after a week, but my smell took like a month to come back.”

The bulk of students who have been sick from corona had mild symptoms, but the staff wasn’t as lucky.

“I got sick over Christmas break, but I had to take the first two days of the spring semester to continue my recovery,” said band director Denis Kerr. “For thirteen days I was pretty sick and would run out of breath and be extremely tired.After having [COVID 19] makes wearing masks and taking precautions feel even more important to me.”