As we all know, over the past year and a half all of MCPS has had virtual learning due to Coronavirus, but now all schools are back open at maximum capacity. Although some students are thrilled to be back in a normal school environment, many students would rather still be back sitting at home doing school.

A huge part of why many students would rather be online is because of the actual Coronavirus itself. Last year when students returned there were no major Covid outbreaks in the building, but that was only with one quarter of the students there at a time, or less. Now with more than 2,000 students going into the building and the weather getting colder, it could become a big problem. “I like going to in person school, but I am really scared that with all the students in the building at once, the Coronavirus might spread super quickly through the school,” senior Ian Repie said.

With the normal school time being back in place, that also means classes start at 7:45 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. like online school. This means that students have to be up by 7 a.m. to get to school on time. Last year, students were able to wake up at 8:55 and jump right into the Zoom class. “I hate getting up at seven every morning because my body is never ready to get up and it’s always a struggle to get out of bed. Last year it was so much easier because I could wake up right when class started and stay in my bed throughout the day,” junior Carli Katz said.

The switch in the schedule also dramatically shortened the lunch period. During last year the lunch was 75 minutes long and this year the lunch is 39 minutes long, a giant change that almost cuts the time we have to eat in half. Students now have to rush to eat and often do not have time to meet with teachers. “With online school, I had time to enjoy my food and relax a little bit. But now it feels like I don’t have very much time to eat and can’t enjoy my lunch as much,” junior Ethan Kuan said.

The normal schedule also means eight periods a day instead of just four online. This means you have to switch your brain for eight different subjects every single day. Online, it is easier to lock into your four different classes for a longer time instead of switching it up. Also with just four classes a day it means less on the homework load for every day.

The two main things students liked the most about online school was the late start time and the long lunch. While the start time cannot be changed, it is possible the lunch could be extended. This could happen by shortening or getting rid of the wellness period right before lunch. It’s very unlikely to happen but it is one way to make the students happy.