Coy Turner, a member of the North Powder School District’s custodial staff, does grounds work Thursday, Sept. 24, on the south side of Powder Valley High School.

NORTH POWDER — Powder Valley High School is again whole.

Students such as senior Keanna Bingham feel this way after the school returned Monday, Sept. 21, to providing all its students the opportunity to attend classes solely on-site. Powder Valley High started the academic year with a hybrid model in which half of the students attended classes on-site on alternating days.

“I felt alone when only half the school was here,” she said.

Bingham said she is delighted all of her classmates now can be on campus at the same time.

Powder Valley implemented the hybrid model because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But data school officials collected indicated full-time on-site classes were possible while meeting social distancing standards. The change means all North Powder School District students can take all of their classes in person, which students in kindergarten through eighth grade in the district have been allowed to do it since the school year started Sept. 8.

The hybrid model at the high school was not ideal, as it also put additional stress on teachers to simultaneously deliver instruction in person and online.

“It was like teachers were instructing two classes at once,” said junior Reece Dixon.

Dixon said he was impressed with how hard teachers worked to do a good job. He said their challenge was made more difficult by lack of hybrid class experience.

“This was also new for them,” he noted.

Junior Rachel Free said it was challenging to take hybrid classes because a teacher might say something that only students in class could hear because of technology issues. Free said she did not often ask teachers to repeat themselves because that also was hard to do online. The junior explained if she spoke while online it would sometimes wreak havoc with her computer.

“It would shut down,” Free said.

Freshman Hunter Bingham found it harder to learn online because he could not talk to his classmates when he had a question about a subject. These students include a cousin in his geometry class.

“We like to trade ideas on how to do something,” Bingham said.

Despite the challenges the hybrid model posed, Dixon said he much preferred it to the 100% online system all North Powder School District students had to participate in last spring due to COVID-19.

“I was excited to be back (on-site) because it was somewhat normal,” Dixon said.

Free echoed this sentiment.

“I was happy to be around people,” Free said.

Dixon said online classes did have some positive points. He noted that once he understood a concept taught at the start of a class and then started working on an assignment he was sometimes more relaxed.

“I could work at my own pace,” he said.

Another plus, Dixon said, is that he learned the ins and outs of taking classes online. He said this could help him when he later attends college since many universities offer online courses.

Senior Justin Ash also said he was introduced to online elements that could benefit him later.

“I learned about different (computer) programs I didn’t know about,” he said.

The logistical differences between learning online as opposed to on-site meant PVHS teachers often had to give different assignments for the same class sessions.

“This meant more prep time,” said English teacher Natalie Bingham.

Math teacher Sandy Colton said teaching on-site and online at once was taxing in terms of time. She noted getting each hybrid class started took about five extra minutes, time Colton wished she could have devoted to teaching.

Colton said it was hard for students to talk online so she relied more on nonverbal cues to determine if her students understood concepts she was teaching. Gestures such as a thumbs up and nods helped her know how her online pupils were doing. She said she also looks for these cues from her on-site students.

The math teacher was impressed with how her students responded to the challenge of taking classes online.

“They did an outstanding job,” Colton said.