149 Days of “Summer Vacation”
Leigh Students Return to New Year in New School
By: Emily Loseke, a senior at Leigh High School
Believe it or not, 149 days have passed since students last walked the halls of Leigh Community Schools. In the middle of March, the coronavirus swiftly took over and changed all of our lives. If nothing else, this time gave students a new appreciation for school and expedited progress on the high school addition. This way, students were ready for the first day of school on August 14th.
Before school could officially open, Leigh Community Schools had to establish coronavirus safety precautions with keeping everyone healthy and in school the end goal.
In addition, teachers, staff members, students, and community members helped make the move from the old high school building to the new addition. After 113 years of providing for our community, the old building definitely had a lot of memories and overflowing boxes that needed to be moved.
Superintendent Stephanie Petersen said, “We are so excited to start the year at our new high school! The first day was the first time many of the students have seen the new building; it was fun to watch everyone as they toured. We hope to have an open house for our community at a later date. The staff and students have implemented many safety strategies to keep us in school. After the abrupt ending to our last school year, it is a time to celebrate everyone back together!”
While the new addition isn’t completely finished, students, teachers, and staff members are able to go about their day while the construction workers continue to make progress. The new high school addition is definitely an accomplishment, and everyone is excited to make history in the new building.
Fall activities and athletics have also kicked off, and fans can expect fan restrictions varying from site to site with the home school getting to make the final decision. Football, softball, volleyball, and girls’ golf have all started their seasons.
Senior Cassidy Hoffman said, “I'm so happy to be back in school, especially in our new school. Even though a bunch of new regulations and recommendations make school different this year, it stills feels great to be back nonetheless. After five months of not being present in school, this is almost a treat, especially when other students across the state aren't as lucky as we are. I'm really looking forward to this year to see what it all has to bring!”