As the school year comes to an end, it is important to reflect on the successes and challenges that we have faced as a community. Despite the difficulties, many students were able to achieve academic success and personal growth. Giovanni Crimi, A Junior attending ISB, said he was “Ecstatic that [he was] able to join the rugby team with Covid being gone.” Giovanni is just one example of students being able to grow with Covid gone. The rugby team being able to compete is not just one of the many activities that were opened when Covid being gone. Another major change that happened was how teaching was handled.
Teachers have had to adapt and learn new skills, delivering lessons online and in-person, often simultaneously. This year however, the amount of online and in-person classes have gone down tremendously. The pandemic forced schools to transition to remote learning, leaving students to grapple with new technologies and virtual classrooms. For a lot of students, this reduced the amount of learning that took place in classes as well as influenced unhealthy study habits. The transition from online learning back to full force in classroom no masks learning happened seamlessly this year and it is safe to say we are back to normal.
The removal of masks has also opened up a new social aspect to school. “I think socially it made it harder as we had so many barriers and the masks made it hard to speak to one another” said Jeremy, another ISB Junior. ISB was able to bring back how school felt before Covid-19. The past year has also highlighted the importance of mental health and wellbeing in schools. ISB has implemented various initiatives to support students' mental health and provide resources for emotional support. As we move forward, it is essential that we continue to prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of our students, teachers, and families.
The 2022-2023 school year will most likely be remembered to teachers and students as the first year school really felt like school again after dealing with complications for years. IASAS is back, classes are in person without masks, lunchrooms are filled without barriers and different events like the international food fair were able to be run for the first time in a few years. Although Covid-19 brought difficulties and the aftermath of it is still noticeable, we are able to take the steps needed to move on with life and hopefully leave the virus behind us.