Students in the Meridian Public-School District resume on-campus learning

Teachers throughout the Meridian Public-School District welcomed students back to campus, as the district enters phase 1 of its Returning, Reimagining, Revamping Plan for the 2020 to 2021 school year.

At Northwest Middle School, students have returned to the classroom for on-campus learning, now having to adjust to the unique in-person learning environment.

Classroom sizes have now been downsized to increase social distancing, with some students still learning via Zoom, waiting to attend class in-person on their designated days.

Jerell Mccallum Principal at Northwest Middle School shared that students' first day back on campus has been successful, with students adapting to the new procedures, like wearing masks, eating lunch in their classrooms, and using their Chromebooks for in-class instruction.

“One of the goals that we’ve focused on with our teachers was getting our students back into a structured environment, you know, they haven’t been in the school since March, letting them get readjusted to the new normalcy we have here at school, because we know it's going to be different for them, and getting them adjusted to technology more, as they were introduced to it last year,” said Jerrell McCallum, Principal.

One teacher shared, that like students, she is also trying to adjust to the blended format of in-person and virtual learning.

“I like to be around them, sit with them, interact with them more, so I think that’s the major adjustment for me. we interact with each other as much as we possibly can via zoom. Just communicating –trying to encourage them to talk, and I think its also a little intimidating for them as well, because it's so many of them on zoom, the major difference is not being able to interact with them as you normally would,” said Raquel Brown, a sixth-grade teacher at Northwest Middle School.

Although students are now learning on campus on designated days of the week, all students within the Meridian Public-School District will complete online learning on Wednesdays.