Return to Plan A: Northwood Students Voice Opinions

Chatham County students in grades 6-12 returned on Monday, April 19 under the Plan A format. Plan A will see students attending in-person education four days out of the week with Wednesdays remaining remote. The school will no longer be enforcing the symptom screening process or taking temperatures. Students will have to keep three feet of distance from others instead of the previous six-foot requirement. The school system also requires any students who tested positive for COVID-19, developed COVID-19 symptoms or were exposed to someone who tested positive over spring break to delay their return to school.

Harmful Blue Light

Because Northwood students are completing their schoolwork at home this semester, students are on their computers a good portion of the day. When school was in person, computers were often only used a fraction of the time spent in each class. Now, students must use their laptop to access all of their learning. They’re also often up late submitting assignments. Finishing assignments at night subjects students to copious amounts of blue light from their devices’ screens. Many students also are on other electronic devices at night. Large amounts of exposure to blue light have been found to have negative effects on teenagers’ health.

Sports Are Back

When students at Northwood aren’t busy completing assignments, many are practicing their favorite sports. Sports at Northwood include football, basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, baseball, softball, swim, track and field, cross country, lacrosse and wrestling. Sports are an important activity for students because they offer health benefits, teamwork skills and a distraction from everyday stressors.

CCS Board of Education Decides to Continue Virtual Learning Through 2020: How Does This Affect Northwood Students?

On Sept. 23, the Chatham County Board of Education voted to continue the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year using Plan C, an entirely online instruction plan, for all high school students. The real question is, how do students feel about remaining virtual for the remainder of the year, and how will it potentially affect them?

What Foods to Eat to Retain the Most Information

During this time of online learning, students are expected to learn and retain the information they are given in order to do well in their classes. The way most students prepare for an upcoming test or quiz is by studying the material they are given. Studying can be done in many different ways, although some strategies may be more effective than others. But rather than looking at the different ways to study material, let’s look at another factor that research shows has a direct impact on how much information students retain while studying: the food they eat.