Students and staff have been unable to access the Kennedy High School building since last March due to COVID-19 and the derecho. After extensive building repairs, Kennedy is now prepared to reopen its doors almost a year later.

Teachers returned to their classrooms a week before students for preparation. To ensure a safe, germ-free environment when students return, staff will take extra precautions to keep the school sanitized.

To prevent overpopulation, the student population was divided into two separate ‘cohorts’ that attend the school on opposite days. Students are also required to wear masks or equally-protective face coverings throughout the school day.

Teachers are required to keep student desks at least six feet apart in their classrooms. Heather Zwanziger, history teacher at Kennedy, plans to keep surfaces in her classroom cleaned and sanitized. The classroom provides windows, which makes it easy for her to “air out” her classroom when needed. This is a technique that Zwanziger believes will decrease the risk of COVID-19 in her classroom.

Depending on the weather, Zwanziger plans on continuing her past traditions including class walks on the track and having the class work outside.

“I hope it is safe. I hope that I can trust that the people making the decision to return to in-person instruction have taken all safety precautions and measures for all of us to be safe,” Zwanziger said.