The bell didn’t ring at 9 a.m., lockers remained empty of books and bags, and the hallways were stagnant without students as Redhawks began their first day of school through virtual instruction on Thursday. 

“Teachers are going to have Zooms and other things available so our kids can have face to face correspondence with their teachers and other peers in their class,” principal Ashley Rainwater said. 

In addition, Rainwater said that those who chose Virtual Academy may have teachers at one of five other high schools in Liberty’s group, which include Reedy, Lone Star, Heritage and Memorial. 

“We are working together to ensure that all the teachers are working together to plan and make a curriculum that you can all get whether you are at our school or some place else,” Rainwater said.

After the initial three-weeks pass, students will either stay virtual or return to campus. Students like senior Elizabeth Boss find face-to-face to be more advantageous for learning, though she likes beginning online.

“It allows me to kind of get a feel for the classes this year and start to get into the rhythm of restarting school, so I don’t mind starting school off online,” Boss said. “But after the three weeks of online is up I have decided to go back face-to-face because I felt that I would learn better in my core classes, like math, if I was able to physically ask questions and get better help to understand.”

Elizabeth’s mom Pamela Boss is excited to see school start up again and is trying to stay as positive as she can.

“I had hoped it would be face to face but we need to roll with the punches and have a good attitude regardless,” Pamela said. 

The regular bell schedule will still be followed online as an opportunity for students and teachers to get accustomed to virtually learning. The three-week period also allows schools to work on safety procedures and protocols.

Senior Arushi Sinha is excited for senior year, especially after a long break. 

“I am kinda disappointed I won’t be able to meet my friends, but I’ll have to just appreciate what I’m getting,” Sinha said via text. “I set up my room so I can study better in it—the environment can really affect one’s focus. In-person has its advantages, but regarding the safety of our students and teachers, virtual is definitely the better option.”

Though much is different than the typical first day of school, freshman Sophie Yang found some normalcy in her preparation for the day. 

“Usually before the first day of school I clean my desk and organize my shelves so that I have space for my new school materials,” Yang said via text. “During the summer I went on Khan Academy and did some practice in preparation for the courses I will be taking this year. I’m pretty excited to start high school and meet some new people that I didn’t know in middle school.”