Northwestern students, teachers in Clark County head back to class today

CLARK COUNTY — Students and teachers at Northwestern schools in Clark County have waited six months to return to class.

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Students returned for in-person learning in the classrooms Wednesday morning.

“This has been the longest spring break ever,” said Kristin Mitterholzer as she sent her eighth grader, Atley off to class.

“There’s a lot of nervousness, but [we’re] excited for how the year will turn out,” Atley said.

Mitterholzer joins 80 percent of the district in choosing the in-person learning option.

“I think there’s some fear of the unknown,” Mitterholzer said. “But for our family, the best decision was to get him back in school.”

Teachers in the district have been back in the classroom for weeks reorganizing classrooms to allow for social distancing.

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“We were able to limit the number of students in each classroom,” Northwestern Schools Superintendent Jesse Steiner said.

In the lunchroom, students are assigned seats with only three students allowed per table, as opposed to 12 to make social distancing and contact tracing easier.

“At the elementary school, [it has a] smaller cafeteria. So, we had to put up Plexiglas dividers,” Steiner said.

The district is also confident their HVAC system, that replaces the air inside the schools every 15 minutes, can help with reducing the transmission of viruses.

“I think it’s going to be a great school year. I can’t wait to have the kids back,” Steiner said. “The first day of [the school] year is always one of my favorite days, and this one has a little more special meaning to it.”

Cox Media Group