With rising COVID-19 cases, Eagle County has transitioned from the yellow zone on the COVID-19 dial dashboard in which there were few restrictions to the high risk orange zone, where new restrictions are being implemented. But what does this mean for Eagle Valley High School?

In terms of school life, not much changes. In person learning continues in the orange zone. 

“So what it could impact eventually is if we had enough cases,” Principal Gregory Doan explains, “we would have to remote, but it’s not required in orange.” 

At the moment, the amount of cases does not require to go fully remote, so students can continue attending school with proper safety precautions. 

“I think it means we need to be more cautious, because our overall goal is to keep kids in school and also to keep them safe,” Assistant Principal Abby Wiens says. 

This doesn’t mean that the orange zone won’t change the students’ lives. For athletes within the school, stricter procedures are put in place in the orange zone that impact practice and competition. 

“We can’t have spectators in sports anymore,” Mr. Doan explains. “We are going to see differences in after school practices because we can’t have indoor practices anymore. Everything has to be outdoors, and there are no groups larger than 10. So those are a big deal.” 

Many sports were scheduled to practice inside, so schedules within the athletic community are going to have to adjust accordingly. Athletics will also have to adjust to the new cap on gathering size. In the orange zone, groups gathering can be no larger than ten people, and many teams have more than ten members. 

This also impacts students who participate in clubs and activities.

“We can’t mix more than 10 students, and we can’t mix A and B day kids,” Ms. Wiens explains.

Clubs may have to separate into two different days if they need to meet in person. 

“If you can’t meet those requirements, you need to meet virtually,” Ms. Wiens says. 

Being in the “orange zone” not only affects clubs, sports, and school, but it also affects students’ everyday life. But the goal is for life to keep moving forward, even if it looks a little different. 

“I hope kids keep participating, and you and your club sponsors are creative in finding a way clubs can still meet,” Wiens says. 

Everyday life is changing with the virus, but Eagle Valley High School team is doing their best to keep the most opportunities open while ensuring safety within the school.

For more information, please visit http://www.eaglecountycovid.org/