The winter months bring changes every year: a new political landscape following the November elections, a season prone to the spread of sickness, and a period of school waiting for breaks from the long beginning of the year. It takes time to adjust to the changing climate, and it becomes easy to become complacent in the repetitiveness and restrictiveness of everyday life.

This year in specific we at The Tower want to encourage you to stay on top of all the great habits we have been developing this year, regardless of big changes such as the district changing the online schedule. We believe regardless of the structure we are in, it is important to continue to work to move forward.

First we will talk about online school. So far, there is no doubt that it has been tough. We also do see people beginning to get more adjusted to the systems: even we at The Tower have adjusted to publishing remotely. Students and teachers have been doing an excellent job trying to make the most of the altered year and we hope these efforts continue.

This brings up a large discussion though, with the recent news that we would be transitioning to a new virtual learning schedule with all seven clases running synchronously every day. This is no doubt a large shift from the current schedule that like we said, people have become more adjusted to.

The Tower sees both the merits and shortcomings of this change. There is no doubt it will increase the amount of teaching that is able to be done, it may hold students more accountable for completing notes and homework, and it will simulate an environment more close to in-person learning. But it will also cause students to get bored of their school schedule, fatigue from computers will start to set in, and students may not be able to operate at the best of their ability.

The spread of sickness is also a large concern for the approaching winter months, and The Tower believes that now is the most important time to be conscious of the pandemic and be aware that COVID-19, coupled with the regular flu season, could leave us returning to lockdowns and heavier restrictions. Getting through a season like this is a team effort and we at The Tower urge you to continue to find normalcy and fun in the chaos, but to attempt to do it in a safe manner to protect yourselves and the people around you.

Finally, the start of the year is a long time to go straight in school without a break, and to handle online as well as we feel students have, is a great achievement. We are approaching Thanksgiving break, Christmas break and then we are in the second semester, approaching the home stretch. The Tower wants the school community to stay diligent in these last weeks of the opening marathon, and approach these breaks ready for the rest of the year.

We at The Tower are optimistic for the approaching months. There will be challenges and changes, but given the great progress students and teachers have made and steps we’ve taken, we have no doubt we will continue to be able to succeed.