After Long Hiatus, Students Return To Tolland Schools

TOLLAND, CT — After nearly six months of relative isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, students returned to school buildings in Tolland Tuesday morning under a hybrid learning plan.

The plan implemented by Tolland school officials randomly selected students for two "cohorts." Cohort A attends classes in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, with remote learning on Thursdays and Fridays. Students in Cohort B follow the opposite schedule, learning from home on Mondays and Tuesdays and having in-school classes on Thursdays and Fridays.

Wednesdays have been designated as remote learning days for all students districtwide.

Molly and Charlotte Pacheco, sisters and a sophomore and freshman, respectively at Tolland High School, summed it up in a very matter-of-fact way by saying "it was not that weird." They did add that wearing masks will take some getting used to.

Classes were pretty much evenly distributed with some exceptions. For example, a sophomore marketing class had six students in class Tuesday with 17 others on remote.

Mollie and Chalotte's mom, Beth, said her daughters are carpooling with neighbors.

Another pair of Siblings, fourth-grader Chloe Lundgren and THS freshman Andrew Lundgren

Tolland Board of Education Chairwoman Ashley Lundgren, also soaked in the hybrid experience. They seemed very prepared.

"It was okay," Andrew said of Tuesday's start. "It was not very different from what I expected."

"It was great to be back at school, even if it was online," Chloe added.

One snag was a technical issue for the fourth-grade assignments, said their mom, Ashley, who is also the chairwoman of the Tolland Board of Education.

In all, she said, it was a good day — with an expected learning curve.

"It's definitely great to be back to school," she said. "I think this hybrid is going to take time to get used to."