Lily Durham
Staff writer
August 30, 2021
Westfield staff and students started going five days a week after going in-person for two days most of the 2020-2021 school year due to Covid-19.
Westfield decided to go five days a week in accordance with the CDC guidelines. Going two days a week was a new experience for all students. Much of the classwork was done online via Canvas and Zoom meetings.
After the school year was cut short in 2020, Westfield High School students did not have as many opportunities to get into sports, clubs, or interact with classmates.
“I like going five days a week,” junior Makenzie Yarber said. “There will be more opportunities this year to get involved.”
With there being fewer opportunities to get involved, there were also fewer opportunities to be social. Being social is one of the main aspects of a high school career and for some, the only reason to want to go to school.
“I get to see my friends more,” Yarber said. “As well as make new friends and connections.”
While there are benefits to going five days a week, still, many do not like going the traditional five days a week. Many have become accustomed to going two and four days a week. Now going five days has messed up people’s schedules.
“One hundred percent yes it was like having a three-day weekend,” says junior at l Natalia Gaffney. “I got to sleep in on Friday.”
Doing schoolwork online had its advantages and disadvantages. While students did not have to sit through as many lectures, the workload did not disappear.
“Teachers are much more relaxed,” Gaffney said. “But they made us do a lot of work.”
The Covid years have clearly had an impact on schools Everyone has an opinion about going five days a week. While some hoped these changes would stay forever, others wanted to go back to having a “normal” high school experience. Whether or not going five days a week is positive or negative, it is here to stay.
“Five days a week is okay, it’s just hard to get used to after only going two days,” Yarber said. “Both had some pros and cons.”