Winter break will be different this year. Instead of having two weeks off and then returning on campus in early January, we will have two weeks off and two weeks with remote learning, which means we will return to campus mid-January. Other Catholic high schools in the Chicago are doing something similar.

The CDC advises against travel for Christmas and New Years, but instead recommends that families gather virtually. However, with the possibility of Mount Carmel students travelling to many parts of the country during Christmas and New Years, the administration has scheduled these two weeks of e-learning as a safety precaution to prevent any outbreak of COVID-19 inside the school.

Therefore, if someone has symptoms, they could be tested before returning. If they test positive, then they wouldn’t have been in contact with any Mount Carmel student or faculty. The safety of Mount Carmel’s students is the #1  priority.

With COVID-19 cases soaring in 48 states across the U.S, no one knows if a student or faculty member could have been exposed to COVID-19 while they were travelling for the holiday season.

According to the CDC, over 113 million Americans travel for the holidays. Thankfully, on December 10, a COVID-19 vaccine was endorsed by the CDC. Hopefully by the time Mount Carmel students return to school on January 19, 2021, Operation Warp Speed will be in full swing.