It’s been a year since we were last on campus. Because of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, Woodstock had to go online for over a year, and while online learning has been tough for some and pretty good for others, many do actually want to return back to campus. The school is happy to announce that they do have some legitimate news about grade 11’s and grade 9’s tentative return later this year in april, which at the time of writing this article is still in deliberation. Mr. Jeffrey Doerfler, the dean of student life, said “everything depends on how it goes with the 10th and 12th graders.” Many students would be overjoyed about returning to school after all this time, but will Woodstock life ever be the same?
When we do, eventually return to school, for starters there will be a lot of changes both in our surroundings and in our way of life. Some things will have changed considerably. To start us off, when we do return, we will be placed into quarantine for the prescribed period of two weeks, so for those of you who were expecting to see the new campus on your first day back, this is definitely a disappointment.
At the time of writing this, the 10th and 12 graders have returned back on campus with 12th graders being allowed back on campus after negative covid test results, whereas 10th graders have just begun their quarantine upon arriving earlier this week. While quarantining they will be screened for covid-19, all-the-while staying in their allotted dorm rooms and only interacting amongst their bubble, with food being delivered to their rooms in sanitized packets.
Additionally there is a possibility that we might not be able to visit bazar for a decent while- even after quarantine. While it’s quite sad to break a really old tradition such as this, it is a necessary precaution, and in these times safety is an utmost importance. Thirdly there are talks of placing us in close knit groups of several people upon our return. This close-knit group would consist of people whom we would be quarantining with and with whom in close proximity we would interact. During this period, the groups will quarantine for a period of 2 weeks, and then, will be tested for COVID-19. If the test results are negative, then they will be allowed back on campus, for in person classes.
Additionally as for the overseas students, there would be international travel restrictions in place due to the recent wave. There might be students who can’t travel to India during this period, so education may still be conducted online for some. As for the students that are already on campus, some international students have been able to come back to school. However, it depends on the regulations of each country individually in terms of other international students. It will also get clearer once the vaccine rollout is complete.
While there might be some drastic changes that could be weird, even overwhelming, for some, we must realise that this is a process of life returning back to normality. While it will take some time the original Woodstock that we know and love, will be back in no time! Just remember to hang in there for just a little while longer! 2020 was rough for Woodstock but in 2021 we will bounce back stronger than ever!
Manas Verma is a staff reporter.
Picture by Woodstock school Instagram page @woodstockschool.
Edited by Riya Gupta.
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