Full disclosure: This conversation actually took place at the end of January, on Wed. Jan. 27 to be exact. 

On Wednesday we had a chat with our principals and we discussed some important topics. The conversation we had was fun and memorable. We were able to get a lot of questions answered. Mr. Naumann and Mr. McCarthy said we are going back but possibly in March. We discussed more topics like what the rest of the year will look like for seniors and what the school is doing to celebrate them graduating, but the school won’t know until we reopen because a lot of these things will vary depending on the number of students. They answered some of our questions about the School Committee meeting and broke it down and talked about some of the stuff that some people were confused about. Overall this conversation was very helpful in getting an inside look into how the school is doing leading up to the reopening of the building. Ultimately the school seems to be trying its best to keep things normal and get back into the swing of things. 

On sports starting up again

“Basketball and hockey should start up next week, Feb. 1,  once we have  approval,” Naumann said. “They will have a short season and then possibly fall sports having a short season and after will be the spring season which will go into July. We are hoping that there will be football. I know that football will be a little more difficult because of the type of contact sport that it is, but if the number [of Covid cases] keeps coming down and the vaccines are up, the plan is to try and play football.” 

On how the school day routines will be different in the hybrid model

Students who opt for hybrid will attend schools two days a week, either Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday, depending on their last name. Wednesdays will be fully remote for all students and faculty. Students will have to wear a mask the whole day, but they might get mask breaks. Students will be able to play in the gym during gym class. Transitions are still being debated, but kids will most likely transition in groups by class or grade. Premade lunches will be distributed in classrooms. There will be adults regulating the halls and only one person will be allowed to use the bathroom at once.

On sanitation measures being put into place

Mr. McCarthy said that there will be plexiglass at desks and other areas. Hand sanitizer pumps are now located all over the school as well as air purifiers.  Mr. Naumann said that the custodians will be sanitizing the school every night and there will be Clorox wipes on hand at all times. 

On tardies and dismissals in the hybrid model

In the mornings there will be no more late door, so students will be expected to show up on time. Dismissal is still being discussed since everything depends on how many students come back. Mr. Naumann said they will try to have every class go out a different door in the school because every stairway has an exit.

On planning special events

“If you have any ideas we look forward to any ideas that you may be hearing from other schools,” Naumann said. “We are trying to do many things allowable by the City of Everett public health guidelines. We want students to go back to school, and we want to try to do as many things as possible.”

On Tupac and Biggie

One thing we were surprised to hear was that both principals knew who Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac were. That’s not something you would expect from most principals. But at the same time, principals were once teens like us, so it’s not impossible.