By Sadie Biehl
For a lot of students, school has never felt the same way it did when they left in March of 2020. Now, things are finally starting to change, with notable progress being identified from this time last year to now. The Mashpee School Committee just voted to end the mask mandate in all schools starting when students return from school break. This is a major change that has attracted the attention of the community, while there are still many other signs of the light at the end of the tunnel.
On Tuesday, February 15, multiple music groups from Mashpee Middle High school performed live for the first time in twenty-five months. The middle school band, high school band, high school strings, and jazz band all performed. An unlimited number of family members and friends were allowed to attend and support the musicians. There has not been an opportunity for students to show off their skills for the community in such a long time, so it was a fantastic sight to see.
For a lot of students, school has never felt the same way it did when they left in March of 2020. Now, things are finally starting to change, with notable progress being identified from this time last year to now. The Mashpee School Committee just voted to end the mask mandate in all schools starting when students return from school break. This is a major change that has attracted the attention of the community, while there are still many other signs of the light at the end of the tunnel.
On Tuesday, February 15, multiple music groups from Mashpee Middle High school performed live for the first time in twenty-five months. The middle school band, high school band, high school strings, and jazz band all performed. An unlimited number of family members and friends were allowed to attend and support the musicians. There has not been an opportunity for students to show off their skills for the community in such a long time, so it was a fantastic sight to see.
One student, Mashpee High junior Jayden Bryant watched the concert to support her peers. She said, “Having the concert back in school after years of not having it was great.” There was wonderful energy in the room and the audience could tell how happy it made the musicians to be back on the stage again.
In addition to the concert, there was also an in-person science fair this week. Students were able to collaborate with people of their choosing for their projects, and were judged in person. This was quite different from last year, when the science fair was done virtually, and students had to present their projects multiple times to different judges. It feels much more authentic to be able to interact with these experienced scientists who judge the fair in person.
The list goes on as to what events are finally starting to come back, but one thing that many upperclassmen are very excited for is prom. Last year, prom had to take place outside on the football field, which was still a great opportunity for graduating seniors, but not the same experience as a typical prom. This year, prom will be taking place at the Cape Cod Club, indoors. It will have a limit on the number of people allowed to attend, but it should feel a lot more like pre-pandemic dances.
During the school day, it has been considerably more lively around the building. There is more interaction between students in general. Group work was something that was very difficult last year, when MMHS was using a hybrid model. Now, many teachers are excited to allow their students to work amongst each other again.
Another MMHS junior Kasey Boettger told the Falconer, “I feel like the class dynamics are starting to change. We are able to do more group work, and labs in science classes. We are able to have a little bit more movement.” Learning to work with others is crucial to a well-rounded education. It is a relief for both students and teachers to have these opportunities again.
Prior to the pandemic, the MMHS library was a great common space for students to access a multitude of resources. It gave them a space to collaborate, use the computers to print, check out books, and do research.
Throughout last year and parts of this school year, movement was prohibited throughout the building. The library was transformed into socially distanced classrooms and looked nothing like it once was. School librarian Ms. Weeks explained how last year she would bring carts of books down to the classroom so they could select some to read, but no one would be allowed to spend time in the actual library.
“Now we are just starting to be able to invite classrooms to sign up and use the library as the library again," Ms. Weeks said. "Kids are able to sign in from other places. I am excited to get back to having a little more hustle and bustle here.”
After the huge spike of COVID-19 cases that Mashpee saw in early January, it was starting to seem like no progress was being made. Now, there are many changes occurring that are helping students and families feel like things are getting back to normal. There are still adjustments that everybody needs to make living with Covid still being a prevalent issue, but for now, it is a relief and joy to see MMHS brighten up again.