As the first bell rings at 7:25 a.m., the 3,000 students of Huntley High School rush to their first class. The main staircase is packed with students hustling to get to their destination and nobody is paying attention to how many people they are coming in contact with. With many students and faculty members wearing their masks incorrectly, the student body of HHS seems to have forgotten that COVID-19 is still real and alive. With almost 1,000 cases of COVID-19 in McHenry County from Sept. 8 through Sept. 21, the spread has not stopped.

Keeping everyone distanced in the school is definitely something that the faculty has struggled with since the beginning of the school year. However, we can not blame them; it is not an easy task to keep thousands of students and faculty members at least 3 feet apart at all times. The real question that parents, students, and staff have been wondering since the beginning of the year is: is it even possible to keep all of us apart? 

“Do I think it’s possible? No. Not if we’re all back at school,” social studies teacher Shandon Nixon said.

The main issue of social distancing happens within the hallways. There is absolutely no way to avoid coming in contact with someone.

“I don’t really know if there is any way to split up passing periods, because everyone needs to get where they need to go, [however] I think in the classroom, it’s possible. You don’t know who you’re coming into contact with when you’re walking around. That’s where I feel like enforcing masks is what’s really going to help out,” senior Claire Kubelka said.

The CDC mandatory mask mandate for schools was put into place to avoid the spread of COVID-19. But, how is this mandate beneficial if Huntley High School’s own faculty members don’t lead by example? 

“There are people, unfortunately, who are professionals, that don’t necessarily want to abide by it themselves, so they don’t expect other people to do it either,” Nixon said.

It would be disappointing to all if we were to go back to online learning again. Everyone at Huntley, including staff members, should do their part by wearing their masks correctly, distancing as much as possible, and respecting those around them.