GREAT FALLS — MTN News continues to highlight ways students are returning safely back to school.
At Holy Spirit Catholic School, students are socially distanced in some classrooms while others are separated by clear barriers to reduce any covid-19 spread.
Teachers have also gotten creative when it comes to keeping supplies clean with individual baskets and classroom supplies at each desk.
Principal Melissa Hallahan said there is an air purifier in every classroom. The school purchased special lanyards to keep masks off dirty surfaces and water bottles to prioritize individual health.
Students also sit in designated small pods during lunch, recess and on the bus.
Hallahan says students and staff begin the day with safety in mind.
Guests and parents are not allowed inside the building unless they have an appointment and each person is screened before entering the school.
Students enter and exit through three designated areas that emphasize best practices.
“The front door is for our first ,second and third grade students and then our two backdoors are for the pre-k and kindergarten and then our middle school,” she said. “Our teachers are required to wear their masks as they greet everyone. We have hand sanitizer stations at each door as well as extra masks in case those students forget those."
MTN News took a walk through the facility with chemical expert Dennis Fowler, who explained more about how he’s been able to make the building safe.
Along with installing hand sanitizer stations, Fowler brought cleaning supplies like disinfecting wipes, face masks and gloves that can be found in each classroom.
