Remember when everyone thought those two weeks off from school was just an extended break? Well, those two weeks would soon turn into months, and the days of hanging out and going to large gatherings would soon be scarce. The world has become a much different places after COVID-19. Following just six short months, businesses and schools have started reopening, enforcing masks and social distancing.

There have been concerns about the safety of students returning to school during a pandemic and whether or not it is a good idea to send children back to school with over nine million cases of the virus in the country. High school students at Corry were asked about how they feel transitioning from quarantine back to the school environment, and this is what they had to say.

Haylee Hinkle, senior, gave her thoughts on what the return has been like so far. “It’s different not being able to do normal things like senior entrance, homecoming assembly, and visiting football games. We have to wear masks during cheer. Overall, I feel like this year is terrible.”

Another popular answer from students involves the stress that comes from the pandemic and school. Senior, Jasmine Measel said, “It’s hard because I’ve been here for six years, so I’m used to the way it normally is. I feel like deadlines are being pushed too hard and there’s too much work during the school year, and it’s very stressful.”

Zoey Gates, junior, didn’t feel as strongly on the topic. “It’s been okay. It’s not been as bad as I thought it would be. Masks are kind of annoying sometimes because it’s hard to understand people. You have to socially distance from everybody and sanitize everything. Lunch sucks because you can’t talk to a lot of your friends.”

There has been a lot of mixed reactions to students returning to school; some students don’t seem to mind, and others are not happy with the situation.