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COVID and Pinewood: What Comes Next BY ANDREW WANG

With Pinewood well into the second semester of a hybrid program, the administration is looking at improvements to the existing program. While the vaccine is still in early stages of distribution, with demographics such as healthcare workers and the elderly being prioritized, it could at some point be distributed to the Pinewood community, raising questions about changes to the current hybrid model where students attend in-person classes two days a week.

“There is 100% no way of students returning fully to campus this year. Mask wearing and all standard COVID protocol will most likely go through the fall”

Could students be returning to school full-time? Upper Campus Assistant Principal Haley Hemm said don’t count on it.

“There is 100 percent no way of students returning fully to campus this year,” Hemm said. “The county’s COVID protocol has not cleared us to do so, and students and all children under 16 are not cleared for vaccination yet. Mask wearing and all standard COVID protocol will most likely go through the fall. It all depends on the state of the virus.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PINEWOOD SMUGMUG

Upper Campus Health and Safety Coordinator Theresa Maksim recently got the vaccine. Other than a sore arm, she feels great. But for anyone hoping that Pinewood will get a vaccine at school for students and staff, Maksim said it’s not likely.

“I don't think we'll vaccinate on campus; it'll most likely be done through your healthcare provider,” Maksim said. “We can't just give a vaccination: it has to be done by people who have received the training.”

The vaccine is a key factor to slow the spread of COVID, but one still has to be careful.

“A vaccine is one way to stop the spread, and it helps keep things at bay; however, even if you have received the vaccine, there is still risk of transmission, so keep practicing social distancing,” Maksim said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PINEWOOD SMUGMUG

The administration has also been busy finding new ways to make Pinewood safer. The school recently rolled out a new testing system that should be more efficient.

“Pinewood will be participating in a pilot program by a new testing company,” Hemm said. “Both faculty and students will be trained to use self-swabs, with results being available in only 24 hours. The best part? Students and faculty only have to fill out paperwork once.

“The most important thing we hope to achieve out of all this is to...create a sense of normalcy in these times”

So with no hope of “regular” school this year, what does Pinewood hope to do?

“The most important thing we hope to achieve out of all this is to, in a safe and controlled way, create a sense of normalcy in these times,” Maksim said. “Mental health matters very much, and I can't tell the number of emails I have received from parents describing a positive shift in their child after coming back to campus.”