As an additional way to keep campus safe this semester, the School will be implementing weekly COVID-19 testing for students beginning this week.

Testing for students will occur during the school day, using the PCR nasal swab—the leading medical standard for detecting the virus—with individuals slotted to take two minutes to complete the simple procedure. Students will be tested inside the gym, slightly lowering mask to exposes the nose but covering their mouth, before swapping for 10-15 seconds.

This, coupled with the two testing days that were held before returning to campus from winter break, is a very effective way to help prevent COVID-19  from spearing in our community. 

I’ve always felt a bit nervous coming to School in the middle of a global pandemic. During the first semester, I feel that the School did its best to keep everyone safe, and lunch was usually held in outdoor spaces that were very socially distant.

However, a lot of my friends have chosen to remain virtual thus far, and I honestly, don’t blame them. A near fully-functioning schooling option without the same risk of virus exposure is hard to pass up. That being said, I prefer to be on-campus with my friends.

That’s why I was so happy to hear about weekly testing for students. An official test defining the symptoms and state of every community member on-campus, and a way to determine if anyone has COVID and is asymptomatic. While no test is perfect, testing of this frequency helps keep campus as safe as possible.

This is my 11th year at Brimmer, and I plan to finish my high school education here. 

At this point, campus feels like a home away from home for me—somewhere I always feel safe and welcomed. Last year, COVID made it much harder for me to enjoy school, as I wasn’t physically able to be with the teachers and students I enjoy seeing on a daily basis.

I want to remain on-campus for classes in a safe manner, and I think this new testing schedule will help make that happen. Being tested isn’t fun, but if it means I can help keep the community safe and stay on-campus, I’m all for it.