MERCER COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – This week marks the first that Mercer County students are able to come back to school in person.
Now that the county has changed to yellow from orange, students can come back to school after one week of remote learning. Middle and high school students attend every other day with alternating groups, and school in general is a very different experience. However, the principal of Pike View High School Anna Lilly is excited to see the students finally return.
“I’m so excited for all the students back in the school. We really missed them, the teachers have missed them. We’ve been concerned about their well being while they’ve been out. And we’re just really excited to have them back in the building,” Lilly said.
While middle and high schoolers still have alternating remote learning days, elementary students attend in-person five days a week. The principal of Oakvale Elementary School Lacosta Hodges says it’s been a challenge to prepare, but they are excited to begin in-person learning.
“It’s been a great week, we’ve worked really hard to prepare for students to be here, and it’s gone really smoothly. The students are so excited to be back in school with their friends. The teachers were so prepared, everything was ready and the parents seemed really excited too,” Hodges said.
Mercer County Schools can continue to have in-person learning for as long as the county stays below orange on the state’s COVID-19 map.