The Anacapa School offered students a warm welcome last week as they returned to campus for fully in-person learning. Since Oct. 14, all students and faculty have enjoyed a regular daily schedule on-campus.

“Thankfully, Anacapa students haven’t missed a single class since the pandemic began in the spring,” said Dylan Minor, head of school. “However, I am incredibly excited now to be back to daily in-person school.

“No matter how talented our faculty, it is simply not possible, in my view, to remotely match in-person instruction and social engagement. I believe we all work best and are happiest in physical rather than virtual worlds.”

Since the 2020-21 school year began in September, Anacapa students have also enjoyed outdoor PE and electives, and adventure experiences.

The outdoor and in-person activities encourage students to disconnect from their screens and connect with fellow students in classes such as beach volleyball, surfing, hiking, performing arts, sculpture, and rock band.

Meanwhile, Friday afternoon all-community activities have increased connections between students and the faculty who support them.

Significant changes were made to the physical space to accommodate the entire campus for safe learning, with additional classroom spaces constructed both inside and outside and additional sanitation stations added.

Each classroom is also equipped with remote learning technology that allows for synchronous learning, should a student or teacher be required to stay home due to COVID-19. Safety and cleaning protocols have been enhanced across the board.

A visit to campus during their lunch break showed students playing ping pong, eating lunch in distanced chairs and blankets on the lawn, and listening to student-curated playlists over the school’s Sonos speakers.

“We are thrilled to have our Anacapa community back on campus,” said Kito Cetrulo, the assistant head of school. “We cherish this opportunity to reconnect beyond the computer screen. Both our students and faculty were eager to return, and the experience back to campus has been rewarding in every meaningful way.”