Students have been back in the building for almost two months now, and other than the obvious changes in how the school looks, such as the omnipresent masks, things are seemingly returning to “normal.” Students attend school in-person Monday through Friday and get to see their beloved friends and teachers (that is, if they are all healthy). Unfortunately, some students in North Atlanta end up catching COVID and have to be quarantined in order to both recover and keep their classmates safe. These Dubs are allowed to return to the mighty 11 stories after their quarantine period, but still, this time away has lasting impacts. The question arises: Does time to recover help Warriors come back stronger, or do they end up defeated from their time away?

The main problem that results from being quarantined as a student is the struggle to keep up with the work that teachers assign to all their classes. Not only do students have to stay on top of assignments and new topics that their teachers cover, but they also have to make up the quizzes and tests they are not present to take. This leaves students with more to worry about once they return to school. “I like that I can wake up and do what I need to do independently, but it’s annoying to have all these assignments to make up when I return that I couldn’t do at home,” said senior Michael Pickens.

It can be immensely stressful for students to miss ample amounts of new material and classwork. Late submissions and general confusion can result in students’ grades dropping. “It gets overwhelming when I see all of these new assignments pop up on topics I don’t even know about,” said senior Kate Nelson.

While quarantining students away from school for an extended period of time can be difficult for those spending time out of the building, it is necessary in order to keep everyone else in the building safe. A small handful of quarantined students is a worthwhile sacrifice to keep the rest of the Dubs together up on Northside Parkway.