Back To School - 10th Grade

Briana started school 4 weeks ago now. I definitely have mixed feelings about it.

 Let me start though with how adorable and fashionable she has been since going back to school in person... 

And yes, she's been wearing some dresses and skirts! (It's so nice seeing her in outfits other than t-shirts, comfy shorts and sleep pants - lol!)

Here she is on her first day of 10th grade...

And here she is sporting her chucks (the last time she owned a couple pairs was when she was three years old.)...

She was a bit nervous going to her high school open house (I was probably more so) a few days before school started. Luckily, she ran into some her good friends while there...

 She met all her teachers that evening and walked the halls twice to get used to where her classes were located. She has four classes (block system) - two are core classes and two are electives (American Lit, Chemistry, Culinary Arts and Spanish).

Here is Bri walking into school with her friend Imerie the first week of school...

Wednesday, Briana was inducted into the National Beta Club (as well as her friends Meredith and Jackson)...

She was invited based on her grade point average for last year - the year she went through a pandemic. She went to school virtually. Had to learn a whole lot on her own. I'm so very proud of her.

(I wore a mask during the ceremony. Just felt more comfortable doing that.)

 **********************

So, when our family made the decision to send Bri back to school back in May, it was before the delta variant reared its ugly head. We figured - she is vaccinated/protected, so she needs to get back with other teens and needs to have a life again. And once we made the decision, there was no going back to virtual - our county forced us to be locked in.

And though B is still quite protected, the variant is a beast (thanks to mutation) and even vaccinated people are getting quite sick now. They are not getting hospitalized or dying, but they still feel pretty badly. Cov!d does not sound fun and our family really, really doesn't want it. Positive case numbers have been creeping up each week at B's school. Most likely, it is mainly spreading amongst the unvaccinated.

Full disclosure, Doug and I are both fighting a head cold this weekend - after Bri only being in school for a month. It proves the "regular stuff" is still circulating too. Bri had a runny nose for a couple of days and we figured it was just allergies. She never felt sick. But, I still had her take a home covid test when we first noticed (and I took one as well to be on the safe side). We were both negative. A few days later, I started not feeling well and then Doug too. So, I took yet another home covid test - negative again. This feels like my normal, typical icky cold - scratchy throat, stuffy nose, run down - no fever, no cough. I just took a third home covid test because I like my due diligence - and again negative. This just sucks after not having a cold for almost two years.

Some teachers/kids wear masks to school, but with no mask mandate, very few are wearing them in my neck of the woods (which I have discussed numerous times in previous posts). And as you know, though masks do work/help, they are much more effective when everyone is wearing one. Briana has been bringing a mask with her to school since day one and she knew she could put it on whenever she felt it was necessary. When numbers started creeping up and then we all got colds, she put it on all day and said she felt comfortable.

I can say...Bri is happy. I can tell that she is happy to be back. She has gotten used to high school pretty quickly and that is a blessing (especially after being out of school for over a year). She did so well virtually last year, but it was obviously weird and different and kind of lonely to not be in school (especially when you are an only child). So though we are realistic and really nervous about this pandemic, we had to balance our decision this year between physical health and mental well-being. And for now, I keep hoping we made the right decision (especially now that we have colds).

I do not regret for one second keeping Bri home last year. She is vaccinated/protected now and that gives me some peace of mind. If she wasn't vaccinated, she would most likely be virtual again or going to a different school. I know it is very difficult for a lot of parents who have had to send unvaccinated kids to school (especially when there are so many schools with no mask mandates). Two of the elementary schools and one middle school (Bri's former middle school) in our area have already had to go virtual due to so many sick students in under a month. Delta is a butt-kicker.

So that is the school scoop. Praying our family continues to stays covid free - hope you all stay happy and healthy too.