Jeri Schneider, Community High School (CHS) media specialist, is happy to be seeing students and colleagues in-person once again.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed those interactions until we came back,” Schneider said.

Schneider experienced some apprehension going into the school year, but she feels comfortable being back at school.

“I was convinced we’re all gonna get COVID, it’s just gonna happen,” Schneider said. “But it hasn’t happened.”

The transition from fully online to full in-person learning has relieved some technological challenges and added some others. For instance, the new Chromebooks given to every student have added a lot of work for Schneider. Students will often come into the media center who have forgotten, need help fixing or haven’t charged their chromebooks.

Schneider also used to coordinate laptop carts for classes, but since every student has received a district-issued Chromebook, there isn’t a need for them anymore at CHS. The workload that these new devices have brought has replaced that of the laptop carts.

Another change for Schneider to adjust to was the library being cut in half due to the work being done in the building.

“At the beginning of the year, it looked like a construction zone,” Schneider said. “[Now there is] a lovely calypso blue wall that the PTSO gave us money for.”

The wall is set to come down this summer, but until then, Schneider will fulfill her duties at CHS in an even smaller space than she’s used to.

“I’ve always thought of my job as being to run the library, but I also want to make sure that students and teachers have whatever it is they need to learn or to teach,” Schneider said. “So, if that means helping with devices, that’s what I do. [If] that means finding information resources, either online or in print, that’s what I do. If that means helping people navigate the WiFi or navigate websites or get access to things online, that’s what I do.”