Bishop Diego brings students back to campus

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. —  After seven months of students learning over computer screens, staff and students at Bishop Garcia Diego High School have returned to campus for in-person learning. 

The campus reopened on October 15th after the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department allowed schools to reopen. 

The school says there are currently 240 students back on campus. 

Faculty members say they are glad to get students back onto campus. 

“It’s been a process of trying to balance the safety of our faculty, staff, students and our entire community with what we also believe is good for children,” Bishop Garcia Diego president Karen Regan said.

The school will be placing safety protocols to keep students safe from COVID-19. 

Parents such as Meghan Flood, are pleased to send their kids back to campus at the private school.

"I just think it's essential at this age for young people to be around their peers,” Flood said.

"Some of my friends were getting a little sad and a little down in the depths during the online class,” Bishop Diego senior Luke Knightley said. We’re weren’t able to see our friends and socialize."

The entire campus has been spaced out strategically with labeled walkways. Masks are to be worn by everyone at all times and desks are spaced six feet apart in each classroom with no more than 16 desks per classroom. 

Their two indoor gyms along with their outdoor areas have been transformed to accommodate for a larger class size of 30 students. 

The school has also implemented two separate lunch periods to avoid potential crowding. 

“We have half of the school out for the first thirty minutes of lunch,” Regan said. “The other half is in their fifth period.”

"Teachers are really on us lately to keep our masks on, keep distance,” Knightley said. “Especially when we're eating at lunch."

There’s also precautionary cleaning measures, as teachers spray down desks with disinfectant for students to wipe down after each period. 

The school has hired additional maintenance staff to deep clean classrooms throughout the day.

"The small sacrifices we're making now will really be for the benefit of our entire community,” Regan said. “It’ll help us have things like graduation at the end of the year."

Despite all these new rules, students say it’s worth the reward of experiencing a somewhat normal education.

"The biggest thing is being able to see the facial and body expressions of my teachers,” Knightley concluded. “It's just a better learning environment."

With all public high schools in Santa Barbara entirely online, enrollment is up 20 students at Bishop Garcia Diego High School compared to this time last year.