WPIAL Students predict whether or not schools will open back up in the Fall
From Left to Right: Chase Thornton (Beaver Falls), C.J. Waldier (Yough), Max Matolcsy (Plum)
SOURCE: (TWITTER, @chase_xii, @cjwaldier, @MaxMatolcsy)
This is a difficult time right now in this society. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every single person, even if it is in a good way or bad way. As Summer continues to progress, many people are wondering whether grade schools/colleges or sports organizations will start again in the following months. Health and safety are very important in a time like this. With reports coming out on the COVID-19 still increasing in certain parts of the United States of America, we all need to start to wonder if schools and organized sports will actually happen in the 2020-21 school year. This is a great time to talk and communicate about what it is going on in society and what people can do to stay healthy and safe during a time like this. So, I decided to ask WPIAL athletes whether they think school would open back up in the fall and whether schools should or shouldn't open back up. Each and every one of these athletes have different point of views and opinions and it was nice to see what the actual students think.
1. Josh Hathaway, Blackhawk, Class of 2021
"To be honest, I don’t believe they will [schools will open back up] with how bad lately Eastern Pennsylvania has been getting Corona. I do believe they should [schools should open up] but also, they shouldn't. I say they should so seniors can get to experience their last year in their school and continue their fun moments and times with friends and teachers. In addition, though, I believe they shouldn't because it is another risk with everyone together in a school being that there is so many students and faculty."
2. Anderson Cynkar, Central Catholic, Class of 2021
"I think that schools will not open up initially in the fall. Maybe as we move more towards winter, they will, but at first my guess is no. I also do not think they should open up if there is still a high number of cases in our area because of the health risk to students, faculty, and other family members that may have health conditions at home. At home, schooling seems like a much safer option until there is a serious decline in cases or a vaccine."
3. Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland, Class of 2021
"In my opinion I think some sort of school will happen but not exactly sure if we will be in school. If so, it will definitely not be how it was at the beginning of last year. I think that schools should open back up if they think it is safe for the students and staff to be in a enclosed area such as a school. Obviously, that will be decided by the doctors so I think whatever they think will be the correct decision."
4. Max Matolcsy, Plum, Class of 2021
"Honestly I’m not sure what will happen with school in the fall. I have a feeling that our community will do it’s best to be safe and get back to school. I personally do think that schools should open up in the fall, if possible. After talking to some of my friends and through my own experience, it is much harder to learn online especially starting off the that way."
5. Chase Thornton, Beaver Falls, Class of 2021
"I don’t think schools will open in the fall. I don’t think they should open in the fall. I believe that they should wait till like January to open up right after Christmas break."
6. Ethan Dahlem, Upper St. Clair, Class of 2021
"I don’t think they’ll open at the start, but they might. We could possibly have two or three days in school, then maybe the rest online. We’ll see what happens; at this point it’s a wildcard. I think we should at least try to [open schools back up]. Then see if the cases go up. It wouldn’t hurt to at least try."
7. Charley Rossi, South Fayette, Class of 2021
"I don’t think anyone really has a great idea on what the future will look like, but I think we will return to school in the fall. I think families should have an option to do online classes if they would like. I think this because kids our age are dependent on school. It allows kids to socialize, see one another, and enjoy some of the best years of their lives. The virus is never going away even after the vaccine, so I think we need to move forward and learn how to become accustomed to it and live with it. There are many ways we can make school safe for all students."
8. Wahkeem Roman, Highlands, Class of 2021
"No, I don’t think we will [schools will open back up]. No, I don’t think it [schools] should open back up because you hear something new about COVID every day.
9. Dontae Sanders, Clairton, Class of 2021
"I think we should start back on computers, then move slowly back in school."
10. Kenneth Blake IV, Kiski Area, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open back up. I feel like some may stay closed, but others will open. I think schools should certainly open back up. It’s not fair to the students, especially the seniors. They aren’t getting the true full learning experience. It should be up to the students and family of the student whether or not they want to attend school.
11. Asaad Robinson, McKeesport, Class of 2021
"I think football is going to open back up and they gonna make us just wear masks, so it all doesn’t look fake. Yes, I think they should [schools should open back up] because the coronavirus is just a common cold and if you got it, you just have to quarantine. So, I don’t find that a big deal. The Coronavirus got a 99% recovery rate unless your old."
12. Miguel Jackson, Pine-Richland, Class of 2021
"I do believe schools will open up but there will be precautions taking place to reopen the schools. I don’t think schools should open up but if they do make us go, make us go for three days then do online school for two days."
13. Harrison Hayes, Pine-Richland, Class of 2021
"Yeah, I believe schools will open but I think school will be modified so the students stay safe. I do think schools should open back up because kids should get back to their normal schedule."
14. Naman Alemada, South Fayette, Class of 2021
"I think schools will open back up, but it will be a different experience for sure. I don’t know if that means wearing masks all the time, constant COVID testing, or having some classes online. I’m still unsure about it. I didn’t think Corona would pick back up the way it did. It’s hard to predict what’s gonna happen. If cases, go back down then we should try and go back but if not we should stay away from school."
15. Logan Pfeuffer, Peters Township, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open up but with some sort of system to check temperatures, etc. I do believe schools should open because students would feel more involved with their teachers, classmates, and high school only happens once.
16. Callie Sowers, Hempfield, Class of 2021
"My personal guess is I don’t think schools will open up and especially not operated how they used to because of the new spike in cases recently. I think schools should open up and I really hope they do because it’s hard to learn when it’s all through a computer and there’s no face to face teaching."
17. Connor Lavelle, Baldwin, Class of 2021
"I think high school will definitely be delayed a couple of weeks or a month or two, but they will open this year. Since the virus kind of started back up again, I would play it safe and delay it a few weeks, along with football."
18. Jaden Keating, Upper St. Clair, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open back up in the fall due to precautions that will be set up to keep the students safe during the day. I do think we should go back to school and not just for the sports. This year, personally for me, is a year to boost my GPA. I’m a very visual learner and I need teachers to explain problems but with remote learning I don’t always have the help I need. Athletics is a big part of it too though. This is the last year for a lot of us guys to prove our worth to college coaches and to show them what we have to offer at the next level."
19. Spencer Perry, Neshannock. Class of 2021
"I think schools should and will open in the fall. I believe that without students being face to face in classrooms, the knowledge we are learning will not be as helpful. Being online is a lot easier for people to cheat or find answers on tests or quizzes and without ever actually learning the knowledge being taught to us. If students get by without learning anything then they will have a lower chance of success during higher education options. I also realize there is a large health risk when doing this, so I feel like schools may attempt to have limited students in classrooms which may cause for a complete change in the way we do things."
20. Austin Wells, Trinity, Class of 2021
"Personally. I'm starting to lose hope in schools opening back up in the fall. I think schools should open back up because it’s so much harder to learn online, especially when it comes to seniors trying to take Advanced Placement classes and trying to prepare for college. I feel online schooling really puts a damper on that."
21. Jordan Demus, Chartiers Valley, Class of 2021
"I think schools will open back up this fall but with many guidelines to keep the students and staff safe. I don’t think schools should open back up because the amount of new cases popping up every day, and you won’t know who has COVID-19. It puts everyone in risk so I don’t think schools should open until the numbers are lowered."
22. Brandon Coe, Upper St. Clair, Class of 2021
"I believe the schools will open up this fall but under certain conditions based off of the county’s current COVID status. Absolutely, face to face education is essential for students and online learning is simply just completing the assignment for points rather than having it taught personally."
23. Paige Morningstar, North Allegheny, Class of 2021
"I think schools will open in the fall as long as the guidelines of wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart are maintained. I think schools should open in the fall, but I think grades should alternate coming in each day and week. (Grades 10 & 12 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and Grades 9 & 11 on Tuesday and Thursday). We would continue online learning for our at home days and this way we cut the people in the building by half making it a lot safer for everybody. I also think schools should open so we can have our sports seasons."
24. Isaiah Jackson, North Catholic, Class of 2021
"In my opinion, I do believe high schools and colleges will begin school but will only be in session for a short period of time because private schools and colleges need the money in order to stay open and pay their teachers. I don’t think schools should open. There are over hundreds of kids walking the halls at the same time, let alone interacting with each other and I feel like that will just spread more disease.
25. Rodney Gallagher, Laurel Highlands, Class of 2023
"As of right now I don’t think we will [go back to school] and we will continue to do online classwork for a while. I don’t think they should [open schools back up] yet because we don’t know who has been around the wrong people and it could cause the virus to spread in the school."
26. Eric Benson Jr., Central Catholic, Class of 2021
"The only way schools will open back up in the fall is if people follow the protocol and do the things necessary for COVID-19 cases to go down. There is a possibility [that schools will open back up] but it takes everyone to make it happen. I think schools should open up if the numbers of COVID-19 cases are low. If the cases are not low and are high, I think we should continue online classes and virtual meetings."
27. Emma Theodorsson, Moon, Class of 2022
"I don’t believe schools will open back up in the fall. Hopefully, a vaccine will come about and we can go back for the 2nd semester. I don’t think schools should open back up. Although I do want to go back, there is too many risks involved with going."
28. Tyler Jones, Beaver Falls, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open back up in the fall. But I don’t think that it will be how it usually is. I think that we will have to follow certain rules like social distancing and keeping our hands sanitized. I think that schools should open back up. Taking online courses isn’t half as effective as when students are actually in the classroom. Everyone can be safe, as long as everyone follows rules correctly."
29. Mike Dorn, North Allegheny, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will reopen in the fall, what that looks like to students is questionable right now. I think we will see lots of changes to our everyday school lives. I agree with this decision because students need to get back to the classroom and athletes need to get back to the field. I know from my experiences with remote learning that there is more value in face to face instruction."
30. C.J. Waldier, Yough, Class of 2021
"I think they will somewhat open up, maybe only a few days a week with limited numbers. I think they should open up but there should be a lot of social distancing including wearing masks and staying six feet apart."
31. Shelby Genes, West Mifflin, Class of 2021
"I believe that schools will open up for a short amount of time then go right back to online schooling. So, I do not believe they will stay open for longer than 2-3 weeks. I feel that another case will pop up in a school and they will have to shut down for a week. I think it will happen over and over again so students will go to school for a day or two then go right back to a week of being shut down. I do believe schools should open back up! We have to build immunity in each student! It was okay for a while to quarantine but quarantining healthy people is never right. If you are sick stay home. It is like that with every other illness. I also believe they need to open back up because we can't just stop natural/normal life forever!"
32. Jayson Jenkins, Gateway, Class of 2021
"I think we will [go back to school], whether we are on campus or doing cyber schooling. I hope that we will be back in the classroom with our classmates and teachers. Yes [we should go back to school], as long as it is found to be safe and as long as we can play football while at school."
33. Jaiden Hill, Montour, Class of 2021
"I hope we do go back to school but ultimately I think we’ll turn to online schooling. No, I don’t think schools should open back up, it’s just too much of an unnecessary hazard."
34. Nathan Hoke, North Allegheny, Class of 2021
"I think schools will be on schedule to open if they have safety plans that help protect students. I think schools should open back up because I know schools will take the right steps to create a safe environment for students to learn without the risk on getting a virus."
35. Antonio Epps, South Allegheny, Class of 2021
"I personally think schools won’t open back up because no one wants their kid going to school with everything going on and potentially giving or receiving the virus. I think schools should open back up because I think many other kids and I learn better in school than online. Plus. online school gives kids the option to push work off to the side and procrastinate and not get work done rather than going to school and having to do it. I think being in school gives more motivation for work than online work."
36. Shane Kemper, Burgettstown, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open this fall. The virus will never just leave, it’s a virus, it’s here to stay and the only way to get over the virus is to pretty much to have everyone get it so they can build an immunity to it. I also think that they should open schools back up because like I said, it’s not going anywhere, and people need to adjust back into the world we used to live in! Do we have to quarantine for weeks when we have the flu? No, we don’t, and they are both viruses. I do understand COVID is worse, but they are practically in the same boat! So, I do think schools should open this fall."
37. Wes Kropp, Penn Hills, Class of 2021
"I believe that schools should open up this year if the Covid-19 cases are consistent and do not have a spike. I think schools should be careful and precautious about rules and regulations. A lot of student athletes work very hard, talking from experience. Going into my senior season, I hope things go back to normal. But I believe schools will slowly open back up. Things will be very different."
38. Eli Naughton, Shady Side Academy, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open (this might just be me being optimistic and just hoping that they will open). I do think that schools should open but should take the right measures to make sure everyone is safe and comfortable, no matter how different it may be. I think schools should open because it’s a much different environment when working from home or wherever you may be. There are many more distractions that makes it easier for students to fall behind on work or even cut corners to get a grade they might not get if they were in the actual school environment."
39. Jonah Silverman, Penn Hills, Class of 2021
"I don’t think schools will open up fully in the fall. It’s looking like certain groups of students will go for specific days of the week. I believe schools should open back up because from all the information I’ve gathered, it seems like young people have the lowest mortality rate of any group. However, I would assume that some parents and students would be scared of bringing the virus into their home. So, it would make sense to have an online option for students who don’t have parent permission to return to school."
40. Dawson Snyder, Moon, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open back up in the fall. I think they should because kids need hands on/in person teaching to actually learn. Although online school was fun/easy, I felt that I did not learn as much as I did in school. With the ratio of deaths to amount infected being so lopsided, I think kids will be just fine to go back to school in the fall.
41. Nahki Johnson, West Mifflin, Class of 2021
"Yes, I think schools will open back up and I think they should because incoming freshmen need this experience that everyone had even if we all have to wear masks."
42. Shane Thrift, Gateway, Class of 2021
"I think schools will open up in the fall, just in a weird way. I think schools should go back this fall! For many reasons, because I feel like school should always be an in-person act, also it will be a lot easier for kids to pass and they won’t be getting a good education doing online schooling."
43. Ed Daniels, Penn Hills, Class of 2021
"The way everything’s going, I feel like school will open in late fall only because Pennsylvania is back in the yellow phase, but we have two more months until someone can figure out a cure for COVID-19. High schools should definitely open back up. Everyone only gets four years of high school and I’m sure the class of 2021 doesn’t want to go through the same thing as the class of 2020 did. Every school should just have a safety plan for everyone’s safety."
44. Ellie Coffield, Mars, Class of 2021
"Although I very much want school to open and for everything to return to normal, I do not think that schools will open back up in the fall. Some schools have already mentioned the possibility of returning to online school, and some colleges have even moved or canceled their fall sports seasons. While this would be devastating, I think it is what is going to happen. I think that schools should open in the fall. If they don’t, then we will continue to push back almost every public event. I think reopening is something that has to happen in order to see improvement. I am really hoping that school opens, and everything goes back to normal as soon as possible. I think that it will definitely take everyone’s cooperation to do so."
45. Amoni Blackwell, Penn Hills, Class of 2021
"Yes, I do think that schools will open. Yes, I do think schools should open up because kids need education and parents need to go to work, it’s helpful and convenient."
46. Cole Weightman, Belle Vernon, Class of 2022
"I believe that people are going to have to change the views on the coronavirus. It has to go with death rates which is .00024%. Only three people that died were 50 years old and under. Only 23 people died from 50 to 70 in Allegheny County. I think it needs to run its course and get are immune systems built up. Hope I don't make any one mad with that statement. I just want to play football and wrestle. I do believe schools should open."
47. Derrick Davis Jr., Gateway, Class of 2021
I don’t really know if schools will open back up. If rates go down, there is a possibility schools will open. I don’t believe schools should open back up due to the number of students in a school. I think our best solution is to stick to online schooling until rates of the coronavirus go down. I just feel that it’s too soon to send kids back into a building where you don’t know who can have the disease. It’s just not safe if you ask me. Your putting to many kids and adults at risk at catching the disease."
48. Alex Arledge, Burrell, Class of 2021
"I do think schools will open back up in the fall, but I believe we will have to wear masks. I think schools should open back up because I feel that it is important being able to go somewhere to learn and get to socialize."
49. Hannah Mcdanel, Mohawk, Class of 2021
"Yes, I do think schools will go back. Well... more like I’m hoping they will open back up. I do think schools should reopen. I think this I say this because I am going into my senior year of high school and I want to enjoy my last year of high school, sports, and everything that comes with it."
50. Ryan O'Hair, South Fayette, Class of 2021
"I remain very optimistic and hopeful that schools will reopen in the fall. However, it's anyone's guess at this point in time. It is my opinion that schools should do everything possible to safely reopen in the fall. I feel that in-person instruction is far more beneficial to students than unsupervised online learning. I also feel strongly about the socialization aspect students receive while in school. Lastly, going back to school in the fall will help our society start to get back to some level of normalcy, which our country desperately needs."
51. Jack Dilts, Kiski Area, Class of 2021
"Yes, I do think they will open back up in the fall. At worst, I think schools should have some restrictions. I certainly hope they open back up because it is very important for all athletes."
52. NyaSanu Greene II, New Brighton, Class of 2021
"Yes, I think the schools will open up. It may be a different version than we are used to. I expect modifications of classrooms and gathering areas like the cafeteria. I am really impartial. I want to do what’s safe in order to keep my senior football season intact."
53. Ian Durci, Burrell, Class of 2021
"I hope schools open up because I want to play football in the fall. They should open back up, with the right precaution, wearing masks if needed, and sanitizing a lot. They should open back up so students can finish a year of schooling without it being cut short."
54. Alain Tamo-Noche, Penn Hills, Class of 2021
"I think there’s a possibility that schools open back up if there’s enough tests. I hope it [school] opens by the fall because there’s a lot of student athletes who are depending on this season."
55. Jacques Taylor, Gateway, Class of 2021
"Yes [I think schools will open back up], most likely not at full throttle with all the kids at first but slowly over time work their way up into having all students in the building at once. I think yes and no that schools should open up. Yes, because everyone deserves a high school experience and should get to meet new people and explore opportunities. No, because there’s still no telling when this whole Covid situation is going to be over and take the risk of one person getting it then transferring it to the rest of the school."
56. Dante Spadafora, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Class of 2021
"I honestly don’t think schools will open up because everything just seems to be getting worse and colleges are already starting to close and cancel their leagues. I think schools should open up because the virus is already out and most people probably had it and did not realize so I feel like they should let us come back just to test and try out to see what happens."
57. Luke Banbury, Upper St. Clair, Class of 2021
"I think schools will [open up] but with a lot of restrictions and changes. I think schools should open up fully."
Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13