Back to a greater sense of normalcy
With the large majority of students attending school four days a week, the schools are once again lively.
On Monday, April 12, Rappahannock County Public Schools welcomed both A and B cohorts in grades 6-12 for four-day in-person instruction. At the high school, this marked the first time the students had seen their classmates all together since the start of the pandemic.
This concluded the three-tier process, which included grades K-3 on March 15 and grades 4 and 5 on March 29. It also signified the official end of the A-day and B-day schedule. Fully-remote students and families have had the option to continue with remote learning if they prefer.
Rappahannock County High School Principal Jimmy Swindler, who was as excited as the students to return to a more typical school routine, enthusiastically spoke about this special day. “Perhaps the best part of our transition to all students on a four-day schedule has been the smiles, or rather the crinkled eye smiles above the masks, on the faces of so many of our students — most of whom laid eyes on good friends for the first time in months,” Swindler said.
The excitement was evident from the happy chatter in the hallways to the early morning announcements by senior Camron Wayland welcoming all students back to school. “Have a marvelous Monday and first day back for everyone,” Wayland said over the intercom.
Classes reunited, bringing a greater sense of normalcy.
“Today, we were also able to allow students to eat in our commons for the first time this year, and that too was met with crinkled eye smiles and, in some cases, squeals of delight,” Swindler said. “We're not back to 100 percent normal yet, but we are certainly taking major steps in that direction, and our students and our staff are thrilled to be headed that way
“Our students at RCHS have done a phenomenal job abiding by our Covid mitigation practices and today, with the greatest numbers in school yet, was no exception. Masks are worn, students go directly from class to class, and learning is occurring,” he added.
The transition to four-day, which began nearly one month ago for the primary grade levels, has been a success. With the large majority of students attending school four days a week, the schools are once again lively. Safety mitigation procedures, such as desk barriers, temperature checks and mask requirements, are still in place to ensure student and staff safety.
Dr. Shannon Grimsley, superintendent of RCPS, was very pleased with the overall transition process. “We are elated to have all our students transitioned to four-day in-person instruction,” she said. “As both the instructional leader for the district and as a parent with one child in each of the transition groups, I can wholeheartedly say that this was the right decision for our students and families. I am so proud of the dedication of the teachers and staff that have made our transition phases so safe and successful. We look forward to a robust spring term and a strong Rappahannock school year finish!”