For the first time since March, students from both cohorts will be back on campus together. 

The goal, even as far back as March, was to get back to full capacity during the 2020-21 school year safely, but promptly. Starting Nov. 1, that goal will become a reality. 

“Each of these steps along the way has never been intended to be the stopping point, the end game,” said Principal Ian Gibbons, S.J. “So you know, opening the year online, going to half and half cohorts, even where we'll be on Nov. 30 is not our final end point, but it's a big move in that direction.”

While details for the plan to full return have not been released, the school felt it was important to let the parents and students know about the change as soon as they could. It is also the assumption going into planning that the block schedule and Faber days will remain in place, meaning students will be on campus for four out of the five days. The Faber day will provide a day for deep cleaning and allow students and faculty a chance for a break in the hectic COVID reality. 

“We wanted to get the information out about what we're doing,” said Gibbons.  “The actual ‘how’ is going back to committee.” 

Gibbons said that three factors were important to analyze in making the decision to return: is the campus safe, is SLUH mitigating the risk of contracting COVID-19, and are the families willing to send their sons back to a building that is at full capacity? 

“We're able to answer all three of those questions.,” said Gibbons. “PPE works, our protocols are preventing spread, and our families are working very hard with us to make sure that we're successful.”

There are four areas of concern for the planning committee: arrivals and departures, after school time, passing periods, and lunchtime. 

“With each one of those we will be reevaluating how we onboard and egress students in and out of the building,” said Gibbons. 

“They (the passing periods) likely will have to be addressed so we don't have congestion in hallways. There will be some alternative classrooms created out of places like the Currigan Room or Ignatian Conference Room,” said President Alan Carruthers. “Possibly in the wrestling room and places like that.” 

The decision to begin on Nov. 30 was made to test the new system for the few weeks left in the first semester, and, if necessary, to change anything over the winter break. 

“We know that for those two and a half weeks before Christmas, that's going to give us a great test of how this will work,” said Gibbons. “Then, if we had to make some significant shifts, we would do those for the start in January.”

“This allows a large group of people who have not had any summer holiday though, to have a Christmas break, and have a break from this place. There are many administrators, faculty, and staff who have not had any breaks,” said Carruthers. “But more importantly, what it does is, we'll get an opportunity from that Nov. 30 through the Christmas break period to work out any kinks.” 

“I was super excited because I know I’m able to see … the kids I haven't seen since March,” said sophomore Danny Campbell. “It’s not just your good friends, it's more like the kids you’d see in the hallways or had class with that you haven't seen in forever.”

Some students shared concerns about having everyone going back to school, including hallways being too crowded, or having too little space in classrooms for everyone. 

“I’m just wondering how we’re all going to be able to pass in the hall together. Even now, when we are all dismissed it gets kind of jammed,” said Campbell.

“Just the hallways, they get a little crowded,” said senior Michel Krausz. “Also classrooms for classes. They have a lot of people in them,  so just finding room for that.”

For the period before Christmas, the schedule will remain the same, meaning periods 1-4 will be two days in a row, followed by periods 5-7 for two days, and then a Faber Day. 

“The early assumption right now, and we haven’t made a decision yet, but the early assumption is for the second semester to be a block schedule,” said Gibbons. That schedule could either remain unchanged or switch to alternating days, meaning periods 1-4 followed by a day of periods 5-7. 

Before Thanksgiving Break, parents can expect to see a survey about whether or not they would like their children to be fully online or fully in person.  

“The feedback is all over the place,” said Gibbons. “Some families are relieved and want us to start as soon as we can. We have families that have made it clear that they will remain online, completely, until all of this is resolved. And then you have everyone in between.”

“Considering the impact of the virus and transmission that we're seeing now you have the reality where you will still have some kids who are fully virtual,” said Carruthers. 

Even though numbers have been increasing throughout Missouri, the school is confident that faculty, students, and parents alike will continue to do what is necessary to mitigate the spread. 

“They're (COVID-19 cases) going up basically everywhere but schools, and the reason is schools are following these protocols and families are very incentivized to want their kids in school so they are complying with those pieces,” said Gibbons. “Areas where we're seeing big spread, we see common things, not wearing masks, not maintaining the sorts of protocols that the CDC has been really pushing.”

Parents and students can expect more information in the next few weeks about how this new reality will work. The passing periods, lunch, arrival, and dismissal are all items that the school plans to address in these upcoming communications. 

“The COVID Task Force has done tremendous tremendous work to get us to this point and I just hope that people understand that it is a delicate balancing act that we need people to be responsible inside and outside of school,” said Carruthers.