Hannah Chun, Around School Editor

October 9, 2020

On September 15th, a catastrophic hurricane, Sally, loomed above the Gulf of Mexico. Already, it was working its way toward the Southeast of the U.S. at a mere two miles per hour, yet leaving meteorologists concerned by the severe damage it was inflicting to the coasts of Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama--the slow pace was actually causing more harm. By Wednesday, hundreds of people in that area were already desperately escaping floodwaters. “It's incredible that so many storms can develop all at once and that we've already had so many hurricanes when there are still two months left in the hurricane season,” physics teacher Ms. Kristin Newton told the Register Forum. “I'm also baffled by the idea of getting over 30 inches of rain at once. I can't even imagine it.” That Wednesday night, the Category 2 hurricane was already ten miles northwest of Troy, Alabama and was continuing its way up to the Northeast at nine miles per hour with wind speeds of 35 miles per hour. Citizens panicked as their towns flooded, the rivers filled up, and houses and other buildings were eradicated. “The effects of Hurricane Sally on the coast of the State of Florida are devastating. Anytime people live near the ocean, they have an even greater chance of being affected by harsh weather such as this recent storm. It is interesting to know that 2020 now has a record breaking Atlantic hurricane season. I believe the earth goes through cycles every 100+ years, and we may be living through one of those right now,”

Charlie Bonney, Managing Editor

October 8, 2020

Although Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) have chosen not to return to in-person learning this fall for most students, some school districts around the Boston area have invited students back to learn in the classroom. The return to school in the COVID-19 era is creating difficulties for administrators who are seeking to create a better learning environment while also ensuring the safety of their students. However, administrators are worried about whether or not safety measures in school buildings will be enough to open schools without the risk of an outbreak.  Recently, Dover-Sherborn High School and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School both announced that they would begin the school year online. This announcement altered the schools’ original plan, which was to begin the school year in a hybrid—online and in-person—format. The alterations made by both of the schools came after police broke up parties violating state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions in both school districts. The Lincoln-Sudbury case has made national headlines as charges have been filed against the hosts of the party as well as the parents of the hosts. 

Luna Valayannopoulos-Akrivou, Around School Editor

October 8, 2020

This year’s first day of school was anything but typical, with the transition to online learning. While students were not able to meet up on campus, CRLS was still able to welcome over 900 new students to the school. Freshman Julliette Coley emphasizes the fact that, “six months ago, around the time the COVID-19 pandemic became major in the United States, I never would've expected my first day, never mind potentially my first semester and my first year of high school to be done remotely.”  Teachers were as nervous as students, as they were tasked with changing their whole curriculum and lesson plans to fit the remote learning guidelines. Ms. Kristen Newton, a physics teacher, said that, “We are literally rebuilding everything we are teaching from scratch. Everything about the way that learning happens has to change.”