By Kayla Cohen ‘21, Editor-in-Chief

The return to school looked unsurprisingly different this year with masked students, repurposed spaces, and a transformed way of learning while six feet apart. Virtually every part of NA has changed in some way: students attend their advisor group every day, the Fall Drama is entirely virtual, Sage lunch is grab-and-go, and the club fair happened on Zoom. However, if you happen to be on-campus after 3:30 pm, NA doesn’t look so different. 

Like all high schools in New Jersey, NA is holding all fall sports with the exception of indoor sports such as girls volleyball (postponed until February). Team practices occur daily in their normal outdoor spaces, and while coaches are required to wear masks, athletes only wear masks during downtime, not during physical activity. Games are happening as well. However, schedules have been reworked to minimize the number of different schools that come in contact with each other. For example, NA football is only scheduled to play against Pingry, Montclair Kimberley Academy, and Morristown Beard this season. The school has also mandated temperature checks for all athletes and coaches and limited equipment sharing. 

Is this enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at NA? Many students argue that it is not. One NA student says, “Because athletes are not wearing masks on the field, it largely defeats the social distancing effort happening inside of school.” Another argument against playing sports is the risk of interaction with other schools. One fall athlete argues, “I think practices are fine since we remain in our small NA bubble. However, playing games against schools who are not doing as great of a job of social distancing or who have been closed due to COVID-19 cases seems dangerous.” 

Many NA students see an additional risk in contact sports (Football, Field Hockey, Soccer) compared to non-contact sports (Cross Country, Tennis). In contact sports, athletes play very close to each other, breathing heavily. As the CDC still works to determine how coronavirus can be spread, many students feel that it would be safer to avoid contact sports altogether, as can be seen with the majority of respondents in the survey below. 

Still, many students, particularly fall athletes, believe that the current standards of play are acceptable and safe. Cross Country captain Kavya Nivarthy ‘21 says, “Sports are really important for mental health, social interaction, work-play balance, and are a key part of the NA experience for all students. NA’s return to play plan has been very safe, with masks being worn when not actively playing and social distancing in effect when possible.” 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has slowly phased in youth sports since May, trying to bring routine to kids while keeping them healthy. In addition, having organized high school sports will limit the startup of unorganized sports leagues who lack guidelines on protecting athletes from coronavirus. 

Athletic Director Mr. Amosa describes the extensive safety precautions currently happening during NA sports: “Research across the nation has shown that contact sports are not big transmission spots for COVID-19, but this does not mean that we should throw caution to the wind. Instead, we, like all other high schools, have increased our safety measures by adding temperature checks, limiting spectators, imposing daily screening, and sanitizing equipment.”

While some students still may feel uncomfortable participating in sports, NA is working cautiously to bring recreation to its students while keeping them safe.