On Friday, Nov. 18, a letter from Head of School Tom Dillow outlined upcoming changes to the schedule. KO students found out that in addition to having their Thanksgiving break extended to a full week, the following week, they would begin to learn remotely, which involved the implementation of “asynchronous Wednesdays.” KO students had mixed reactions to these new scheduling changes, with some feeling excited and others disappointed.
Across the board, students were excited about a week-long Thanksgiving break. All students felt that they could use the time to recharge and refresh after a busy fall, and seniors were especially grateful for the extra time to complete college applications. “It was very nice to have the whole week off because I was able to relax and take a mental break from school,” senior Margo Dowgiewicz said.
Senior Maddie Thiessen agreed that the extra couple of days were greatly appreciated. “I really enjoyed having the whole week off,” she said. “School and life in general have been crazy with college applications and pre-break assessments, so it was great to have more time off.”
Senior Justin Edwards agreed that Mr. Dillow’s decision to extend the break was the correct one. “I loved having the entire week off, especially after such a crazy start to the year,” he said.
As much as students enjoyed their time off, they also noted that it wasn’t the kind of Thanksgiving break they are used to. “It wasn’t the greatest Thanksgiving because we couldn’t see the family we see every year, but we still made the most of it,” senior Mike Demio said. Senior Izzy Burke also felt COVID-19’s impact on her usual celebrations. “I really missed the common Thanksgiving we usually have,” she said. “Usually, our entire family is here, and we have a giant party to celebrate.”
Seeing family through Zoom screens seemed to be a theme for a lot of KO families who smartly abided by state guidelines and limited the size of their gatherings. “Usually on Thanksgiving, we have a lot of extended friends and family that come over to the house, but this year we couldn’t,” senior Ethan Raisner said. “It was different but it was still nice to have a smaller family dinner on Thanksgiving.”
Returning from break, students had mixed feelings about the week of remote learning. For some, it felt like the return of a lonely and long spring semester. Despite this, many students agreed that it was a smart call to limit the potential spread of COVID-19 on campus. “I think the online week is smart to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, and I am grateful that it is only for one week so we can go back to campus after,” Margo said.
Although the return to Zoom was daunting, students said they feel as though we were better prepared for this go around. “I think the week of online learning will be manageable, and definitely better than last spring’s online learning because I feel we have all adapted to Zoom and a different classroom setting,” Justin said.
Ultimately, students were receptive to these new changes but hope for a return to normalcy soon. “It’s nice to have a break at first, but soon we’re going to want our lives back at KO,” Mike said.
