Dartmouth’s Bishop Stang High School returns to full-time in-person learning

After a highly acclaimed remote learning program last spring, and a successful hybrid learning model this fall and winter, Bishop Stang High School returned to full-time in-person learning on Monday, April 12. For the remainder of the spring semester, Bishop Stang students will report full-time in person every day. Learning remotely continues to be available for students who opt to remain home and for those students who may be unable to attend due to Covid related quarantine situations. Following health and safety protocols, including masking and physical distancing, will continue to be a top priority.

Regarding the return to full-time in person learning, President/Principal, Mr. Peter Shaughnessy, commented, “It was so great to see our students return full time. Monday felt like the start of a new year in many ways, full of excitement and optimism! I am very confident in our return because of the way in which our school community has navigated this pandemic thus far. Our parents, students, faculty, and staff have shown tremendous responsibility and care for one another in order to allow the learning process to serve our students and allow them to flourish. The hybrid model served us well during this, but the time and conditions were right for our return to full-time in-person learning.”

Faculty and staff are thrilled to once again hear the sound of student voices filling classrooms and hallways. Math teacher Tim Morris summed up the feeling well, “I could not be happier to have our students back in the building. The evening before they all returned, I had trouble sleeping just like I always do the night before the first day of school. It was so exciting to hear the voices in the hallways, hear the laughter and joy in their voices when they saw their friends, and be able to watch in person while they learned their lessons for the day. The students are the reason we exist, and there is no substitute for the human interaction that takes place in the classroom daily. I am so proud of how much we were able to accomplish this year despite challenging circumstances and look forward to making these last few months of the year as memorable and full of learning as possible”.

The school’s daily schedule was modified to accommodate three lunch periods to allow space for appropriate social distancing, and additional desks have been returned to classrooms in keeping with CDC and DESE guidelines. Seats are assigned, and each classroom teacher maintains detailed seating charts to help provide quick and accurate contact tracing if needed.

Bishop Stang is exceedingly mindful of the pandemic’s continued presence in our communities and offers gratitude to their families, students, and staff who have worked hard to remain vigilant and will continue to do so. The Bishop Stang community is grateful for this opportunity to once again continue the journey of education and growth for their students – in person, as a family, together.