![On Oct. 30, 24 Eco Club members took a tour of the school’s solar panels on the roof. They were guided and taught by an employee from E Light Electric, the company that maintains the school’s solar panels, and learned about how the panels are maintained and cared for. “I was definitely very excited about being on the roof in general,” Eco Club member Olivia Fang ‘26 said. “[It was exciting to] learn more about solar panels and how they work and how they supply energy to our school.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RCH_2632-1200x800.jpg)
![Math teacher Austin Bennett observes seventh period students step to the board to solve Equation of Circle problems May 2. Bennett has been teaching for a total of four years, with only two of those years spent as a Jag. He hopes after his time as a high school teacher to become a professor. "[College math] is more challenging, and it's good to challenge yourself," Bennett said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_0147-1200x900.jpg)
![Varsity girls soccer midfielder Leah Sheahan ‘24 hugs a friend during the Senior Night celebrations before the home game against Mountain Vista High School (MVHS) at Echo Park Stadium April 29. During Senior Night, seniors were given flowers and the opportunity to walk out and take pictures with their family as their future plans and favorite memories were announced over the speakers. The Jags tied 0-0, losing the Continental League Championship. “We were obviously the stronger team but just couldn’t find a way to score, but otherwise our connection and our intensity was really high so I’m proud of that. We just have to find the net,” defense midfielder Clara Geuzaine ‘24 said. “[Losing League] wasn’t the best. It’s better than last year and like, I know our team and we are doing really good. I don’t want to jinx it but like hopefully [we’ll do] good [in playoffs].”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Copy-of-DSC_4277-1-1200x868.jpg)
![In room 4101, Natalie Patterson ‘26, Ariana Magor ‘25 and Celina Salazar ‘25 create a poster in science teacher Kerry Reilly’s Chemistry Honors April 18. The three completed a worksheet and drawing to explain the implosion of a tank for their unit on gas laws. “At the start of class, we watched a video of the tank imploding,” Patterson said. “I think [making a drawing] is something new. I like more artsy activities.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5019-1200x900.jpeg)
How COVID has been Effecting Rock Canyon in the Fourth Quarter So Far
Students sit in a half-empty classroom after returning to a full in-person schedule. Students returned March 22, and the school has already experienced quarantining students. “It seems like every time I come to class more and more people are online,” Aiden Macarthur 23’ said.
May 4, 2021
Monday March 22, students returned to school full in-person. This controversial decision was met with some backlash because many people felt as if it was too early after spring break to return since many families had just traveled and that COVID would just spread again around the school.
The school board in conjunction with the Tri-County Health Department made this decision because they felt that our ability to learn would be helped substantially, and most students would say that in this aspect, it worked. That being said, if schools can’t stay in session for more than a month, is it worth the risk?
A lot of people saw this coming with the halls being twice as full and the lunchroom becoming a breeding ground for sickness. Also, a lot of students don’t try to prevent the spread of COVID, even if it would have been possible with over 2,000 people in one building.
An email sent April 8 to parents about the possibilities of returning to online school stated that there was about a 150-200 rolling quarantine amount. Even with that number coming from Principal Andy Abner, it seems more likely that the numbers were likely a bit higher.
The DCSD website says that there are about 400 people in quarantine as of April 9. These numbers are apparently up to 48 hours behind but still paint a better picture of what many people seem to witness at school.
In general, the vaccine released to the public made people think COVID would be over before we knew it, but it seems that we might experience the effects of it for a bit longer than many people expected.
Rock Canyon returned in-person again for what they hope to be the last time. School gets out in a bit less than a month now, and it’s possible that we will make it all the way through the rest of the year.
That being said, nobody knows how many cases we will have going into this final stretch, but if it’s too high we could return to online school again. From what has happened so far it looks like we will most likely not go online again, but only time will tell.