SWAMPSCOTT — Students at Swampscott Middle School were welcomed to their first full day of in-person learning Monday with balloons, fog machines, and a DJ at the school entrance.
The school had previously been in-person for scheduled half-days, with live online classes taking place in the afternoon; now classes will be conducted in-person full time. Swampscott Middle School is the last school in town to return fully to in-person learning.
“The middle school was live-Zooming, so we’ve hit the ground running. It’s not going to be a big change,” said Principal Jason Calichman, who was optimistic that students were happy to be back. “They still have their full day. They’re just here.”
The full-day return to class was delayed because the school had to find a way to serve lunch while working around social distancing guidelines. To accommodate all students, lunch has been expanded from two periods to four, and will take over the gymnasium for more seating.
Cafeteria tables also have stickers to show where students can sit to accommodate social distancing, and a grid has been placed on the gym floor to spread people out. In nice weather, students will be able to eat lunch outside.
As students enter the lunch areas, they will be asked to use hand sanitizer and can then pick up a bagged school lunch.
In addition, the full-day schedules for each grade include mask breaks.
On Monday morning, as students waited outside to enter the building, many danced to music playing on loudspeakers. At the front of the building, one group of fifth and sixth grade students formed a circle and danced the Macarena.
On the other side of the building, seventh- and eighth-grade students waited for their turn to head inside to class. Eighth grader Sofiya Kozolva said she was happy to be back in school with her friends.
“It’s definitely something different,” Kozolva said. “It’s better than just staying at your computer all afternoon.”
Edel York, another eighth-grade student, said that, while she was worried she might be tired after a full day, it was good to be back.
“It’s going to be interesting. We’re used to the shorter days,” York said.
Calichman said he was glad to see that students were feeling positively about finally being back in the building.
“Any time middle school kids want to be in school, you have to make use of that,” he said.
