After a record-high blizzard and a similarly high COVID spike, Hull schools are officially halfway done with the year. Report cards for Term 2 were posted last week, and students and staff are just hoping for their end of the year to be as normal as possible.
Compared to where we were this time last year – just starting to bring kids back into the building four days a week. Now we’ve been fully in-person since the start of school and guidance counselor Meghan Preble says “it feels much more like a regular year.”
Student morale is improving, says Preble and her fellow guidance counselor Michelle Burke.
“It’s great to have extracurriculars back,” Burke said, because they help the school “feel more like a community.”
Extracurricular activities are back after not being active last year. Winter sports games have drawn fans in the stands, and popular clubs have new members. Some teachers have done field trips, from seeing plays in AP Language to going on scientific boat tours.
Going forward, Preble and Burke are hoping to raise spirits to get through the long winter months by doing more full-school activities. The door-decorating competition was once again a huge hit, and all-school rallies are fun ways to stoke morale and foster community.
Especially going into spring, Preble is hoping to be able to utilize outdoor spaces to safely gather in larger groups.
“Everyone’s doing the best they can,” said Preble. “To me, it’s been a pretty good year.”
Burke admits that the school has had its challenges, particularly the now-subsiding Omicron wave of the virus, but says the Pirates “do our best to deal with it,” and that she’s “hoping for a more normal spring.”
Victoria Dolan is The Hull Times school correspondent. This column expresses her student viewpoint. For questions or news tips, please email dolan.victorialani@gmail.com
