This is part of a series of blogs from Noble campus representatives to give a deeper look at campus life.

Returning to school has been a whirlwind of emotions for students, teachers, and families, but the overwhelming feelings of joy and excitement have been at the forefront of our return. Noble Street’s hallways have been filled with laughter and excitement and emotional greetings since week one of the school year.

However, along with the joy, there have been reservations and fears about safety from both students and families, as well as Noble Street’s teachers. Here is what we’re doing to ensure the safety of our students and families:

Everyday, Noble Street students and staff slip on their mask and secure it over our nose and mouth before entering the school building. They are then reminded about the importance of washing their hands with signs throughout the school. Hand sanitizing stations are available in every hallway.

Noble Street’s mascot, Goldie, helps remind students to sanitize their hands before lunch.

“Daily habits to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been built into our everyday instruction”, says Mr. Chleboun, Noble Street’s sociology teacher. Teachers go through slides every day in their class, going over COVID-19 safety protocols at the school. “Although it’s a bit repetitive”, Chleborn says, “it allows everyone to be on the same page and has helped make COVID-19 safety a daily habit.”

One of the biggest things we stress at Noble Street: the acronym SAFETY, which stands for Secure, Aware, Focused, Energy, Think, You.

Overall, Chleboun says he feels safer than he originally thought he would and is grateful for Noble Street’s implementation of COVID-19 safety protocols.

Yet, despite these precautions, families are still worried about sending their kids to school. Ms. Melendez, the parent of a Noble Street senior, says that receiving emails from school with alerts about a recent exposure is scary. However, she says she trusts that Noble is doing everything they can and can see how excited her daughter is to go to school every day.

Students also have mixed feelings. Some are worried about catching COVID-19, but they also enjoy being back in the building. Senior Jaslyn Torres prefers to be in-person to learn and to be around her peers. She says she feels confident that Noble’s protocols will make this a great senior year. She’s also excited to experience all the new changes Noble has made this year, saying “This will be the best year yet!”