Families must decide by Feb. 21 if they want to opt in to the hybrid program that will begin March 8 and return to school with their grade-level classmates two days out of every two weeks, according to a letter from Principal Paul Beekmeyer sent Feb. 16.

Students in the same grade who choose the hybrid option will be in person for two consecutive days — an “A” day and a “B” day — following the same block schedule they have been using all year. “C” days, typically on Wednesdays, will be remote and used for assemblies and counselor programing.  

When students are not in person, they will join their regular classes on Zoom. Students who remain in distance learning still have the opportunity to participate in activities such as athletics, grade level events and clubs.

Once seniors leave for May Project May 10, students in grades 9-11 will be able to attend school in person more frequently.

Under a closed campus policy, students who arrive on campus are required to remain on campus until their classes are done for the day. 

Mr. Beekmeyer said in an interview that the return to school by grade level was chosen so students could be with their friends.

“Obviously people have friends in different grades, I know that, but I think the best bet of having students see their friends is if we do it by grade,” Mr. Beekmeyer said. “I also really wanted grade 12 to have the opportunity to be with their grade before they finish high school. That was really important to me.”

Students will also have time to remain on campus before or after school in certain areas, but activities must end by 4 p.m.

Sophomore Vincent Zhang is concerned about having to stay at school for the entire day.

“I feel like staying at home gives you a lot more freedom where you could just go outside whenever or just do other things,” Vincent said.

Mr. Beekmeyer hopes that with all the safety guidelines, students can still have an enjoyable high school experience.

“The biggest concern is balancing safety but also making sure that the experience still feels like high school,” Mr. Beekmeyer said.

Families must complete a form that indicates whether their student will return to school in person or remain remote Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.

Students are encouraged to join information sessions on Feb. 18 or 19 at 12:15 p.m. The link will be shared on Schoology. Parents can join information sessions on Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. or Feb. 19 at 8:30 a.m.

More details, including a schedule of which grades will attend in person on certain dates, are available here.