Many BFA students and staff have been becoming sick in the past week; here is what that has meant for learning and extracurricular activities. 

Last week and the beginning of this week, students and staff have noted many peer absences. BFA Senior Ethan LaPlume, who plays hockey,  said, “I have noticed a lot of other kids absent in my classes, sometimes as many as 5 or 6 people in a class.” LaPlume was sick himself on Thursday, February 5th. This surge of illness among students means many have been catching up on work and making up for missed class time. LaPlume noted, “When you miss school, you can get behind a lot in class, or if your teacher is not there, you can miss lessons that were planned.” The growing pile of work for students can be an added stressor when they return from being sick, and can make classes disjointed with different students working on different assignments. Both of these can make class time less successful, even when students have returned to school.

But this is not entirely uncommon. Nationwide, the C.D.C. says that the average student will miss between 1 and 3 days of school due to sicknesses such as respiratory illnesses. This mirrors what we have noticed at Bellows Free Academy this year. And a wave of sickness like this happens to some extent in most years. Science teacher Michelle Stinnett said, “Every year there is a period where there are a mass amount of sicknesses, but different years have different levels.” This year seems to be one of the strongest years in terms of absences. 

Stinnett explained the negative impact of students missing school, saying, “If they aren’t here, they aren’t being exposed to what they are supposed to learn that day, and if they are missing 7 classes, it can be very stressful for students. This can cause them to have to catch up, and many students have a lot going on. It can be really terrible.” This echoes the sentiment that LaPlume and other students have shared, in that the catch-up following sickness can be difficult for students. Mrs. Stinnett also noted she had as many as 5 students missing from a single class period. In addition, she said, “It’s easier to be at work, especially when you have lessons planned or teach courses with a very set schedule. You have to figure out what your classes can do, and you have to try to figure out how to adapt (to missing classes).” This statement supports the idea that it creates problems for staff who miss school, in addition to students. 

Sickness is also affecting more than academics at B.F.A., as absences have affected extracurricular activities as well. The varsity boys’ basketball team recently had half of the team sick and absent on the same day, forcing them to change practice time and have a joint practice with the junior varsity team. Multiple players missed consecutive days due to illness. The girls’ varsity basketball team has also had a similar problem, with 5 different players missing practices due to illness recently. 

There are several reasons that so many students are contracting illnesses as of late. First, school building layouts often inherently promote the spread of sickness, as students and faculty are in close contact with many people throughout the day. In addition, there are other things that can increase the risk of illness for students. Not getting enough sleep, which is a common characteristic of many high schoolers, can put you at a much higher risk. In addition, cold and dry air, stress, and not drinking enough water all contribute to weakening the immune system, and many students fall into at least one of these categories. All of these factors, compounded on top of each other can make schools an optimal place for sickness to spread.

The best thing we can do to stop the spread of these sicknesses is to practice proper hygiene and to stay at home when we feel ill.