With final exams being talked about, excited seniors planning graduation plans, fall sports meetings, and club elections for next year’s board, the school year at FTHS is coming to an end. The end of the year also makes people reflect on their past school year and everything that has changed. All the way from COVID protocols to vending machines, there are nuances throughout the school that have changed.

Even though there were many changes throughout the school year, there are also many things that were brought back. Battle of the Classes, homecoming, cabaret night, assemblies, and overall school spirit returned once again to FTHS after about two years. It was great to experience all of these talks about events that had been lost and unable to happen due to the risk of COVID.

Although COVID continues to be prevalent in our lives, the protocols in order to protect students have changed significantly. With overall cases decreasing and the amount of people vaccinated continues to increase, it is safe to say that the protocols reflect this change. At the beginning of the school year, masks were mandatory and a quarantine was for two weeks for everyone. As the school year continued, if you were vaccinated and in close contact with someone who tested positive you could stay as long as you tested negative, and if you were not vaccinated, quarantine was non-negotiable. This all changed in May when the mask mandate was lifted, students and staff were no longer required to wear masks and the choice became personal. Along with the mask mandate, rules about close contact cases were less restrictive, and are almost not heard of at all. Quarantine still exists, but it is not as prevalent as it was at the beginning of the school year. Regardless of who you are, it is safe to say that an attempt to return to how life was before COVID has been successful so far.

Another important change that many students at FTHS were excited about was the new addition of being able to use credit cards and Apple-Pay in the vending machines. Many students do not have cash on them at all times, but the one thing most if not all students have are phones, which through great technology can be connected to a credit or debit card. Although this might seem like a minor addition, it was surely one that was celebrated and has made food and drinks available to even more students. 

But the building is not the only thing that has seen new additions. Many of the staff at FTHS have made new additions to their families. This year, we saw Mr. and Mrs. Herbert’s new baby, Nova Herbert. Along with this new addition, we also saw Mr. Erbig also had a new addition to the family. Both of these new additions to the family were happily celebrated and congratulated. 

With a bittersweet goodbye, it is now time to say goodbye to all of the seniors who are now graduating from FTHS and moving on to greater things, but it is also with a warm embrace that we receive new, eager freshmen, who are surely going to make this school an even better place. So, for now, goodbye and until next year!