BY VIVIANA VALENTINE

The painted red hallways are taped off, masked people are dodging each other, and teachers are yelling “6 feet apart!” Truman Highschool has changed during this 2020 year. 

Truman changed scheduling this year to alternate depending on your last name. Group A is one week on-sight, and group B is the next week. Online School is required for anyone not attending campus. The program that ISD schools are using is Canvas, which shows people their assignments, announcements, and overall curriculum. Every day on-sight, a student will only attend 4 classes instead of their usual 8, making each class twice as long. 

Students are also required to wear masks. They have alternating release schedules from classes and leaving at the end of the day. Hallways are marked similarly to traffic to maintain social distancing, and desks are spread apart. 

Students had the option to do only online as well. They would operate on Canvas and Fuel Ed, maintaining a schedule at home. If those changes seem overwhelming or unbelievably dense you are not alone. But unprecedented times often call for unprecedented measures.

Naturally, there have been many complaints and compliments from the students about this new scheduling system. “I can ask more questions in class and know what is going on in there. I also would like to see some friends I haven’t seen since March,”  explains Melissa Merrick, a junior at Truman who chose the alternating schedule. 

Merrick also said that she doesn’t mind switching, because there are less people crowding the hallways and it is overall an okay experience. 

Of course the reason Truman is doing this is to keep people safe.. “e I am not really worried about it because I put on hand sanitizer and wipe everything down when I get home, and wear a mask of course. I considered online school because I wanted to keep my great grandma safe, but I still feel like I could learn more at school,” said Merrick.

Brielle Davies, also a junior Truman student chose to do only online. “I live with my grandparents and don’t want to put them in harm’s way,” Davies explains. “I have mixed opinions, but it is nice to get into something consistent.” 

While many students believe the overall experience is acceptable the reviews on Canvas weren’t so kind. “I wish the school would have more communication with students, and I don’t like how the submission system is,” Davies said.

Merrick went further stating “I dislike it, I would rather google classroom because everything is in one spot, and teachers know how to use it.”

Many other students voiced similar complaints. Teachers tended to put things in different spots, and people had to memorize who put what where. 

However, many teachers admitted that they are open for suggestions. They were just as new to it, so feedback at this stage might be a valuable solution. Other teachers had already developed a system that students needed to follow no matter what.

Overall, students all agree that the school is safer. The threat of any virus is low there, and anyone can switch to only online whenever they want. There is a discomfort with school that may linger, but with time, the school will be both safe and comfortable.