As the new school year has begun, many students at FMHS have had to get used to the change in schedule from last year, when Covid dictated even more of their daily life. At school, students couldn’t share utensils, sit close together at lunch, and had to wear masks almost every hour of the day. Almost all of these restrictions have been lifted, however there is one change many students will actually miss. Last year, releases to and from classes were staggered so as to keep hallways less packed and not spread illness. This year, this has been completely done away with, leading to crowding in many places, but most notably the parking lot. With a flat release at the end of the day, many students have reported that getting home from school has become much more chaotic than before. 

Amanda Inskeep, a senior, stated her experience with it, “It took twenty minute to get out of the parking lot and I was right by the entrance. I had to change my exit strategy like three times.” 

Of course, once parking passes are officially given out sophomores will not be allowed to park in the main parking lot, so this will likely help with overcrowding. As students move out of the Era of Covid, many things will change. However, students may learn that many things worked better than how they functioned before. It’s up to them to decide if they want to keep some of the changes they made.