BATTLE GROUND, Wash. — Battle Ground sixth-grader Ryan Southworth says not seeing his friends at Daybreak Middle School was one of the toughest parts of remote learning. He was happy to see hybrid learning start up a few weeks ago.
"It definitely feels better to actually see people's faces," Ryan said. "I noticed on Zooms a lot of people didn't turn on their cameras."
For Ryan, leaving cameras off during Zoom calls will become a thing of the past later this month. The Battle Ground School District announced a return to in-person learning fives days a week starting April 26.
"I might've danced in my chair," Ryan's mom Brandi Southworth said. "I'm excited for them. I'm excited for me."
She said she's so excited because the last year has been anything but easy.
"It's been hard," she said. "There have been a lot of struggles, and I know it's not just us. All the kids out there."
A return to the classroom full-time for primary, middle and high schoolers, Brandi says, will do wonders for the kids.
"They're going to get better instruction," she said. "They'll get help on assignments they need."
The district says families can continue to expect masks and frequent handwashing. Six feet of distance between students during lunch, performing arts and P.E. will be mandated as well. In the classroom, there will be three feet of distance between kids, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Now they can put more kids in a classroom, and it's great," Brandi said.
A return to a traditional school model will take some getting used to, but Ryan welcomes the challenge.
"We get to see more kids our own age and, depending on where we are in the building, older kids, too. We get to see our teachers in person."
Kids can still opt to remain in remote learning. They must make a decision by the end of spring break.