Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155 students excited to return to school after unconventional year

On her first day of senior year, Crystal Lake Central High School student Thandie Michaelson, like many teenagers, was looking forward to prom and graduation.

At the same time, Michaelson said Wednesday morning, she also was nervous to be back in school after a year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You just get used to the COVID schedule and everything, and then all of a sudden, everything’s back to normal,” Michaelson said. “It’s kind of weird, but I feel like I’ll get used to it pretty quick.”

There is one thing Michaelson would rather do without, however – face masks, which the state recently announced would be required for students in school buildings.

“I hate them, but you got to do what you got to do,” she said.

Wednesday marked the first day of school for Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155 for the 2021-22 school year.

Algonquin-based Community School District 300 and Prairie Grove School District 46 were set to follow with school starting Thursday, but Prairie Grove School District 46 pushed back its start date to Monday after it lost power.

Woodstock School District 200 and McHenry High School District 156 are also scheduled to start Monday, and a slew of districts are set to kick off their school years Aug. 18.

That includes Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 and all McHenry Elementary School District 15 schools except Landmark Elementary School, which operates on a year-round calendar and was the first McHenry County school to start its year when it returned July 21.

[ McHenry’s year-round school Landmark Elementary welcomes back students ]

Olivia Berg started her junior year at Crystal Lake Central High School on Wednesday – but like her brother, Audon, a freshman – the 2021-22 school year is shaping up to be her first full year in the school building as well.

That’s because Olivia Berg, like many students across the state, saw her freshmen year cut short when schools were closed in March 2020 and then a mix of remote and hybrid learning her sophomore year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m excited to see my friends, my teachers, and even though we have to wear masks, it’s just a little thing to sacrifice in order to have school,” she said. “I don’t really mind [masks] as long as we are back in school. That’s all I really care about.”

Audon Berg also was looking forward to being back in person for school and having more opportunities as a high schooler. Last year, sitting on the computer was boring, he said.

Crystal Lake Central High School students interviewed by the Northwest Herald were generally enthusiastic about seeing their friends and teachers in person again.

“It’s been kind of lame sitting at home,” junior Anthony Edgerton said.

Crystal Lake South Junior Gianna Perak said while they have to wear masks, social distancing rules have been relaxed from the 6 feet they were when in-person school resumed last year.

“It’s more normal than it was last year,” she said. “So it’s really better, but it’s not the same.”

At Crystal Lake South High School, Principal Josh Nobilio was thrilled to see kids smiling and laughing in the hallways again.

“I’ve been talking with teachers, and they have all been very positive about how the first couple periods have gone,” Nobilio said. “I’ve been waiting for that moment to be able to feel like we’re back. I walked in this morning and saw the students standing in the pit and congregating and having those discussions, and it felt like, OK, we’re there, we’ve taken that next step.”

Dealing with changing state and federal health guidance has been challenging, district officials said, but for them, it’s all about going with the flow.

Earlier in June, the Illinois Department of Public Health adopted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that masks should be worn by those 2 and older who are not fully vaccinated along with other recommendations designed to reduce transmission, including maintaining at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms.

Since then, the state has adopted a mask mandate in response to increasing COVID-19 transmission and the emergence of highly contagious COVID-19 variants.

“I think we’ve been flexible,” Nobilio said. “Every conversation I have with kids so far has been a positive one. So despite the challenges, I think we’re in a good spot.”

Having to be flexible has been the reality for school officials for the past 18 months, district Superintendent Steve Olson said.

“One of the things that it does is it really causes you to grow in your appreciation for what we’re able to do,” he said.

Kids are inherently resilient, Olson said, and they’ve been able to make the adjustment.

“I like to believe that as a community here, we can wrap our heads around this and come together and recognize that, yes, we’re wearing masks right now, but all these other good things are happening at the same time,” Olson said. “That sense of optimism needs to continue to be there for us to continue to go down this journey.”

Throughout the pandemic and with evolving guidance, Olson said there have been a variety of opinions.

“We just need to be open and honest about that, and recognize that we need to be thoughtful and listen to where people’s concerns are and where they lie,” Olson said. “We’ll get through it, but we’ll get through it together. And that’s really got to be the message.”

In Crystal Lake South teacher Katy Resch’s classroom Wednesday, there was lots of laughter and joking as her students participated in an activity that involved throwing celery on lines made of blue tape on the floor.

It was a “crazy way of estimating pi,” said Resch, a math teacher.

Originally, Resch planned to do the activity outside, but heavy rain and rolling thunderstorms throughout the morning thwarted those plans. To give kids mask breaks, Resch said she wants to do other outdoor activities throughout the upcoming fall semester, especially since her room is right by a door leading to the outside.

“We can literally just pop outside real quick, and we can come back,” she said.

After 25 years of teaching, Resch admits she still gets nervous for the first day every year. But this school year, Resch said, she was more excited than anxious to get back to having kids in the classroom.

“It’s crazy how crowded the halls are,” she said. “But it’s awesome. I love [how] everywhere you turn, there’s someone to talk to.”