After more than 2,000 negative COVID tests and six months into the 2020-21 school year without a positive case, a member of the Northwood community has COVID-19. Yesterday a day-student in the Snowsports cohort tested positive SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Assistant Head of School, Mr. John Spear, notified the school community in an email this morning:
This is the first positive case of a student or employee while school was in session and the student was attending in-person classes. The school is aware of more than twenty positive cases among students and staff that have occurred during school breaks and were resolved before the student returned to school or the employee returned to work.
Life at Northwood has proceeded as normal today for all students except those within the Snowsports cohort. Mackenzie Hull, a senior in the Girls’ Hockey cohort said, “It’s a little concerning, but I know that the school and the health board are taking the right precautions to keep students safe.”
One of the students in quarantine also gave us insight on how they’re feeling. “Going into quarantine feels strange but I figured it would happen to some people at school eventually,” they said. “I’m at least happy that I’m able to go home for a few days and just have a mental reset before coming back to school,” they added. The Mirror will not use the names of students who test positive or are required to quarantine out of concern for student privacy.
The school is assisting the Essex County Health Department with contact tracing and expects the precautionary quarantine to be lifted within a few days. While having a positive case in the school community is unsettling, students are all working together to “protect our pack” and continue keeping our community safe.
