By Gianna Sanchez ’25
Back to normal? Mostly… A look back on the 2021-2022 school year
Returning to in-person school in August, 2022, for what many hoped would be a “normal school year,” proved to have a rough start. With the virus still going around, masks were required full time in the classrooms. According to the student handbook, “Carrollton strongly supports in-person instruction, in the event of a natural disaster, disease outbreak, or any other circumstances which in the judgment of the school administration make it infeasible, unsafe, or otherwise imprudent to continue campus-based education, school educational programs may transition to distance learning and/or other methods adopted by the school administration and faculty.”
In the Upper School, there were two lunch periods and two assembly periods so that only half of the student body would be meeting and eating at the same time. In order to maintain social distance, little Carrollton stickers were placed on outdoor benches indicating where students should sit while eating. “We consistently comply with the protocols, the faster we will return to our pre-break “normal” here. Thanks so much in advance for your help in getting us back to where we all want to be,” said Mrs. Hall.
Things started to look a little better around January, when masks became optional. While events, such as prom and graduation were canceled or held virtually last year, the faculty gave us hope that these high school rites of passage would most likely look different this year.
During the 9th-12th grade Christmas formals, masks were highly encouraged, but optional. The Junior Ring Ceremony and Mass was held in the Convocation Center and for the first time since 2019, and senior ring sisters were in attendance. After January, COVID protocols were being relaxed in much of the country.
The junior & senior prom was held at a hotel with no mask requirements. It was also the first year since the pandemic that the graduation would be held at Saint Hugh at the end of May.
The 2020-2021 school year began virtually, therefore the Aladdin play was held outside. The actors also had to sing and dance with masks on, which was not easy on them. This year however, the Beauty and the Beast play was held in the Convocation Center, and the actors performed the play with no masks.
Students were in high spirits and thrilled to return to school after two years of having to undergo teaching and learning sessions at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, parents also expressed gratitude that their children’s lives as students gradually returned to normal. The whole Carrollton community is grateful for the opportunity to enjoy activities together, that the community hadn’t been able to do since 2019. We as students give thanks for the continued efforts from staff for keeping us safe and in-person. It has not been easy, but this school year has finally felt like normal.
