The first day of the 2020-21 academic year in Mitchell County felt and looked decidedly different.
As they normally do for the first day of school, local students got off busses with fresh backpacks and school supplies in tow and others got out of the family car in the car dropoff loops.
From there, they made their way into the halls, ready to close their quarantine-heavy summer vacations by returning to another new year of academic instruction.
This year, though, the hopeful smiles and sleepy eyes were a little bit harder to see behind cloth face coverings, made necessary by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Students coming to school on Monday, Aug. 17 were part of the first wave of students to enter schools in the school system’s two-week reopening transition period.
The transition period, which is in effect now through Aug. 28, brings students with different letters of last names into area schools on different days.
Because of the transition period, the first day of school has the potential to look different and take place at different times from one student to another.
Even still, Superintendent Chad Calhoun said returning to school and to normal academic routines is key for area students.
“I know the educational aspect is important, but the social aspect is, too,” Calhoun said. “To see kids they haven’t seen all summer or since March is going to be great for the kids. They'll get into a routine. That’ll be huge for them, too, even though it'll be different than when they left back in March.”
Some students won’t have a physical first day back. At least, not yet.
Some students opted to attend the Virtual Academy K-12 offered through the school system. Those students will pick up their learning devices on Friday, Aug. 21 or Friday, Aug. 28.
Calhoun said while the virtual academy will be offered for the entire school year, the goal is to have students return to face-to-face instruction at some point during the year.
Calhoun said some students who originally opted for the virtual academy have since switched back to preferring in-person learning and vice versa.
Most students that attend the virtual academy will have live lessons from teachers who are dedicated only to virtual teaching. At Mitchell High, select teachers will have a block specifically dedicated to virtual teaching.
“We wanted to be able to offer parents both options and make both options work the entire school year,” Calhoun said. “It took some reshuffling of resources to make it work but no one was denied that signed up. Everyone got in, so that worked out good.”