The amount of positive Covid cases in Michigan have been on a steady incline, making it important that schools take extreme caution in response to the virus in the buildings. The spring sports season has arrived, and South is remaining cautious by ensuring athletes get tested every Monday morning before school. This testing is beneficial to keeping the school environment safe, but there are also many issues associated.

The first day of Covid testing took place on Monday, April 12. It was messy considering it was the very first time testing had been done for Spring athletes in the school. Owen Domzalski 23’, a boys JV baseball player, describes the event as chaotic.

“They had everyone getting tested at the same time because they weren’t able to schedule the teams correctly,” Domzalski said.

This disorganization resulted in many students showing up late to first and second hours, causing some to fall temporarily behind.

There were super long lines outside of South,” Domzalski said, “I didn’t get tested until an hour after I was supposed to, and missed the first two hours of school.”

Monday, April 19, student-athletes were tested again. The second time around, the Covid testing ran more smoothly and orderly. Students like Sarafina Melhem 23’, a girls JV tennis player, were able to get to their first hour on time, unlike last time.

“We were able to get tested at 7 a.m the second Monday, and weren’t late to class,” Melhem said.

The second time around, testing was also more convenient. JV baseball player, Connor Stafford 23’, believes that due to trial and error, they were able to schedule the process better after knowing that all of the teams going at the same time wouldn’t work.

“The second time was definitely more convenient given the fact we didn’t have to wait outside for two hours,” Stafford said, “It moved way faster too because they scheduled each team at a different time.”

Although there still is a long way to go until everything regarding Covid works perfectly in the school setting, the school is taking a step in the right direction by maintaining and ensuring safety among the student body.

“I think testing is very helpful,” Melhem said, “Especially because it’s rapid and we find out that day.”