Covid Protocols and Booster Clinic

By: Catherine Wu, Lauren Kim, Jett Goetz, Ellie Ana Sperantsas and Beeke Fock

Amidst ongoing concerns with the transmissibility of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, students make a return to in-person classes on Thursday, Jan. 13th. Student athletes will participate in interscholastic athletic competitions beginning on Jan. 15th, and extracurricular and club activities will resume in-person with the permission of Student Activities.

These protocol changes arrived approximately a week after the opening of the Academy’s booster vaccine clinic on Wednesday, Jan. 5, where students aged 16 and older received their booster shot. The Academy plans to provide booster vaccines for students below the age of 16 as soon as possible. In a follow-up email to the Jan. 7 assembly, Principal William Rawson announced that the booster would be required for all students not already approved with a vaccine exemption. 

The Academy originally planned to have a one-week quarantine period upon students’ arrival to campus, but it was extended due to “an unexpectedly long delay in the processing of pooled saliva tests by the lab,” according to a Jan. 10 email from Rawon. Rawson also announced that extracurricular activities would return to meeting in person on Tuesday, Jan. 11, and students would be able to attend in-person classes beginning Thursday, Jan. 13. Interscholastic athletic competitions will begin on Saturday, Jan. 15.

Masks will continue to be required both indoors and outdoors at all times, except when in dorm rooms alone or with a roommate. Dean of Students Russell Weatherspoon reiterated the importance of following these guidelines in an email on Jan. 8, stating serious violations could be punished by a Community Conduct Committee (CCC) case. 

Rawson provided updates on the procedures for students who contract COVID-19 in the Jan. 10 email. Families must identify a “COVID Pick-up Designee” who could be contacted immediately if a student tests positive. The designee would be required to arrive on campus to collect the student within 24 hours of notification. The infected student would then return home to quarantine or isolate at another off-campus location. As of Jan. 12, 79 students on campus have tested positive. There are 46 active cases in isolation and 28 close contacts are in quarantine.

During the return to Zoom classes, some faculty expressed their concerns. “Online learning is not ideal, but I think it is the best possible option right now given the transmissibility of COVID,” Math Instructor Brandon Hew said.

Teachers adjusted the course curriculum for students during the extended quarantine period. “I planned my classes with no labs for the first two weeks in January and I selected a topic which I thought would be manageable for students online. I was nervous before the first Zoom class, but have found students to be wonderful. I feel like my students are fully invested and doing their best to make these classes productive, engaging, and supportive,” Biology Instructor Anne Rankin said.

Faculty discussed their thoughts regarding the Academy’s COVID protocols. “I think the Academy is placing a lot of responsibility on students. The school can put in whatever guidelines or protocols they want, but at the end of the day, it is up to the students to follow them. In the current context, I think it is even more imperative that students understand the need to follow them because, aside from the fact that it can jeopardize the health of community members, students will have to go home if case numbers get too high,” Hew said.

“I wondered a bit about having students remain at home for a week or so and do asynchronous classes to acknowledge the time zone issues, but in the end I trust the people making these decisions. I think they are balancing a huge range of variables, seeking input where appropriate, and making the most informed decisions possible. I appreciate their work a great deal,” Rankin said.

“I think that they’re doing what they can with the information that they have available. I think that having worked for a public health agency before, you just kind of have to learn how to roll with the changes that the variants present themselves with. And so I think that the academy is doing all that they can with the knowledge that they have available,” Health Instructor Courtney Shaw said.

Faculty members also expressed concerns about dining options. “The dining hall experience is definitely a little bit different, especially not being able to serve your own portion sizes, but again, having to make those adjustments, I think it’s still doable,” Shaw continued.

Students shared their thoughts regarding classes starting in person this Thursday. “I have mixed feelings because I’m excited to be physically in the classroom, be able to pay more attention, and get out of my room, but I’ll have to be more considerate of my time management,” upper Abegail Byun said.

Students also noted the changes from the fall term and are still adapting to the new COVID protocols. “It felt different than the first term. Especially with more COVID restrictions and being online, I feel like I haven’t been socializing as much,” lower Akubah Ndubah said.

Other students compared last year’s COVID protocols with this year’s. “I feel like one difference is that teachers and most of the students are already accustomed to it, so it hasn’t been a hard transition because we’ve already experienced this. I think everyone is more comfortable and knows what they're doing,” Byun said.

Before receiving Rawson’s most recent updates, some students expected the quarantine period to last longer than two weeks. “I expect this to last longer than two weeks, just because there are so many people who haven’t even come to campus yet,” lower Asena Gursel said. “So many people I know have COVID or are close contacts, it’s just honestly spreading like wildfire. I just don’t see how we could go back in person without everyone getting COVID.” 

Ndubah had a similar outlook, stating, “I feel like it’s definitely possible that it would be extended.” Ndubah also shared concern about the current protocols’ impact on mental and physical health, saying, “I definitely get way more tired, mentally and physically, during Zoom classes. My attention span is definitely not as good. Being in your room all the time can get really frustrating.”

“My mental health has been okay during these two weeks. I dislike Zoom classes and still prefer in-person classes,” lower Jonny Chen said.

The community recognized the Academy’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID. When asked about whether the Academy was doing enough in regards to the recent spike in Omicron cases, Gursel said, “I feel like the academy is doing a good job. Obviously, there’s no one hundred percent effective way. They’re doing a lot of testing, they had the booster ready for the first week. So I think they’re doing a decent job.”