The ADM school district went back into session for the fall on August 30th. This year, school feels much different than it did for students in 2020-2021. Our school district has made masks optional, as opposed to last year when they were mandatory. Online classes are also not an option for students. Because of these changes, it’s understandable that some students might be feeling odd, happy, or just a tad bit lost.

When asked about how she was feeling about the new school year, Ashley Downing replied “I like it better than last year because we don’t have to wear masks and it’s not as bunched up.” Downing did mention that the masks are “fine,” but she just prefers going to school without a face covering.

Mercedes Norris, a new student to ADM this year, was able to give some insight on her old school, and how it feels compared to ours. Norris said that her old school had more strict Covid-19 precautions than ours, which is understandable, as last year’s schooling was in the heat of the pandemic. She also said that her first year at our school has been pretty good. Norris has “met a lot of people (and) it’s been fun.”

Though a lot of students are enjoying the “no mask life,” it seems that it might be short-lived. Some school districts around our areas (Urbandale, Des Moines, West Des Moines, and Ames) are deciding to go back to “masked learning.” ADM has decided to not go back to “masked learning” at this time.

All in all, is this school year better without Covid precautions? Was last year better after all? Who can say. All the students and teachers can do is work together to keep everyone safe, happy, and healthy for classes this fall.