Feature Photo Credit: Orange County Public Schools

Olympia High School is a high school in Orlando Florida and isn’t that far from Apopka High School. Normally, that wouldn’t feel such a big concern. However, with the looming threat of their recent shutdown, it’s no wonder some in the AHS community have had such a sinking feeling. Their shutdown was the product of over an estimated one hundred and fifty students being exposed to the coronavirus. So what did this mean for Apopka, and why is it important to know about? The Blue and White contacted one of the coaches at Olympia High, Miriam Jenkins, as well as our own principal, Lyle Heinz.

Coach Jenkins explains her experience with the shutdown and all that came before it. She was more than happy to openly detail how to switch to LaunchEd. She advises keeping a close eye on your schoolwork, as all the online interfaces can make you feel less inclined to complete them, much to the detriment of your grades. She also explains that she hadn’t seen the lockdown coming at first, and when it did happen, she felt quite scared. She explains that the biggest thing teachers can do in preparation is to plan ahead and to be compassionate and understanding to students in their separate situations. In addition, she advises students to remain in dress code during classes, online or otherwise, explaining that it’s still quite important.

Principal Heinz maintains that he has the situation under control. In response to whether or not he thinks our current guidelines are working and if he should update them, he replies that “I do think they are working. Everyone has gotten used to the safety procedures. As long as we understand this is what needs to be done to be safe then we will continue to have success.” He continues by explaining that he has full confidence in the procedures that the professionals have laid out, and he has no business changing what works. The only thing that he continues to emphasize is that the mask policy and distance lunch policies are essential to beating this thing, no matter how compelling it might be to do otherwise.

That being said, whether or not you personally enjoy the systems laid out to protect you, it’s been made clear that we need to be careful and consider our options. Otherwise, this virus isn’t going anywhere.