As the third trimester here at Thunder Ridge began, some changes were made to the Covid-19 guidelines and restrictions that had been placed on the school at the beginning of the pandemic. The school board voted to get rid of the in-school mask mandate, while also opening up school events to spectators and fans, as long as they stayed under a maximum capacity of 40 percent. Lifting the mask mandate here at the school was a welcome relief to many kids who thought it was a burden throughout the year. As the decision was being made there were some

rumors bouncing back and forth that the school board might roll Thunder Ridge back to a 5-day a week schedule, while at the same time, maintaining the mask mandate. But as we all now know this decision was aided greatly after many teachers opted to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. While this decision has been received with mainly a positive attitude, there are some fears and suspicions that removing the requirement of masks here at the school will cause an uptick in the number of Covid-19 among the students. While these fears and suspicions are valid, the school has not yet seen a major outbreak or uptick in case numbers quite yet. I was able to ask many students what they preferred between going to school for 5 days a week with a mask or not having to wear masks, but only going to school for 4 days a week. The overwhelming and practically unanimous response was that all students that were talked to, preferred only having to go to school 4 days a week. Many of them liked having Mondays off to catch up on homework or maintain a job while in school. So, while it might be too early to tell if this was the right decision, the overarching sense is that the students approve of this decision and are becoming more content with the current situation here at Thunder Ridge.