Donna Talerico has never been happier to see such low marks in Monongalia County’s school system.
“It’s like night and day,” she said.
The deputy superintendent of schools was talking about the single-digit COVID report the district presented last week.
Just six positive cases were reported among students in the system, she said. Another three staffers from across the district presented with positive diagnoses to end the week.
She credits vaccines and consistent adherence to all the pandemic protocols for the reason why.
“The things that we’re doing are working,” she said. “We’ve been very, very lucky.”
For now, the coronavirus is making itself scarcer in the Mountain State, according to Tuesday’s numbers from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
All 55 counties were showing green on the DHHR’s county alert map. That hue, however, still doesn’t mean a full-on go.
The coronavirus is still lingering here. Another seven deaths were notched from Monday into Tuesday, the DHHR said, including a 100-year-old man from Grant County. To date, 6,716 state residents have died from COVID and its complications.
The state picked up another 93 cases between Monday and Tuesday, also. A total of 135 are currently hospitalized in West Virginia, with 38 in intensive care and another 22 on ventilators.
Those numbers include two pediatric cases, with one of the young patients in ICU, the agency said.
Twenty-eight active cases are in Mon, with four in neighboring Preston.
In the meantime, Talerico said, the school district is rounding the corner on its second “mini-break” of spring, which will be April 14-18.
“Our field trips are back,” she said. “We’re getting ready for prom. All of this is our ‘new normal.’ We want our students, and our seniors, especially, to be able to experience everything they can this year.”
That includes commencement exercises for the Class of 2022. The county’s three high schools will hold graduation on the last weekend in May.
University High School seniors will go forth 7 p.m. May 27, Talerico said.
Tassels will be turned during Morgantown High’s exercises at 10 a.m. May 28.
Clay-Battelle seniors will gather 3 p.m. May 29.
All three ceremonies will be on the football fields of their respective schools, the deputy superintendent said. Masks will be optional and the district is still finalizing particulars on guest lists.
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