Rider students return from 160-day break

Manasvi Reddy, Editor-In-Chief|August 20, 2020

Students+return+to+campus+following+safety+procedures+amid+the+coronavirus+pandemic.

Sheridan Allen

Students return to campus following safety procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic.

For the first time since being released for Spring Break on March 13, Rider students and faculty returned to campus to resume school activities.

With new social distancing protocols and sanitizing procedures in place to avoid a potential coronavirus outbreak, almost 70 percent of students have opted to attend school face-to-face for the first time in months.

“(Returning to campus) was kind of exciting, but it felt out of place for a little while. I think it will take us a few days to remember what being in school was like,” junior Colee Music said.

Though student expectations and campus procedures were reviewed in classrooms Thursday, the degree to which these regulations are able to be enforced is uncertain to some. Some students have found that social distancing in a compact and crowded classroom setting to be difficult.

“I think we’re trying our best, but again, we have to remember how many kids we have at our school as well as the space we have is kind of limited. We do what we can,” Junior Class President Isabella Groves said.

Studies have shown that the likelihood of contracting Covid-19 decreases significantly when both individuals are wearing the proper protective gear. The hope is, in schools across the country, that strictly enforcing safety and sanitation guidelines will keep the virus at bay.

“As long as everybody wears their masks, I think we’ll be fine,” Music said.

 Given that Covid-19 has a 14-day incubation period, the first few weeks on campus will be a crucial indicator of what the school year might hold. However, fears of the future didn’t hold the senior class from gathering for the second annual senior sunrise Thursday morning.

Approximately 80 seniors gathered Thursday morning to celebrate the beginning of the school year.

“We’ve been going to school with these kids for years,” senior Renelle Rushatsi said. “It’s so cool to have us all in one setting, enjoying each other’s company and seeing all of each other again due to Covid.”

With their masks on and spirits high, the Raiders are ready to tackle whatever uncertainties lie ahead. The Spring Break that lasted 160 days has officially ended.