Alachua County Public Schools students, parents and teachers reflect on a full school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Alachua County Public Schools had 72 students and faculty members in quarantine as of Tuesday evening — an increase of about 20 cases since May 25, according to the school district’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Pamela Bedford, the director of the Institute of Culinary Arts at Eastside High School, was nominated as one of four finalists for the American Culinary Federation’s national Chef Educator of the Year Award — an annual recognition of a culinary educator who has led by example to enhance the cooking skills of their students and guide them to success.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March disrupted daily in-person classes and introduced new safety regulations such as temperature screenings and mask mandates in Alachua County Public Schools. ACPS teachers adjusted to smaller class sizes, instructing on Zoom and changing mask mandates all while trying to ensure students were still learning.
Beginning this summer, masks will be optional indoors on ACPS campuses as well, ACPS Director of Communications Jackie Johnson said. The county will also no longer require temperature checks, but social distancing will still be enforced.
As of Tuesday night, there were seven active student cases and one active staff case, representing students and staff who have reported a positive test result to ACPS in the past 10 days. The district’s total enrollment is 26,660 students.
![Eastside High students Khyeisha Boykins and Jay'Marlon Wilson prepare food for eligible families [Photo courtesy of Alachua County Public Schools Spokesperson Jackie Johnson].](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/68785108-08eb-4981-baef-dfb2a1774af8.sized-1000x1000.JPG?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
The institution partnered with Karla P. Shelnutt, an associate professor at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who studies nutrition and food insecurity for the Family Nutrition Program.
Since former Eastside High School band director Richard E. Parker's death in 2016, former band members have come together every few months to honor and educate people about the marching band’s old style and community impact through performances at community events and street parardes.
![Screenshot of the false message on Instagram [Courtesy of Jackie Johnson]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/b27ebf8a-e120-431b-97d6-c3bf394beedc.sized-1000x1000.jpeg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
A fake Instagram account posing as Alachua County Public Schools spread a false message late Saturday night that schools would switch to remote learning. The school district plans to contact Instagram with hopes of getting the account taken off the platform.
The goal of the organization is to guide current students while also funding school programs and scholarships. It is one of the few high school alumni associations in the Alachua County Public School system.
In its fourth week of classes, ACPS has 702 students and faculty in quarantine for COVID-19. The spread is tied to positive cases on sports teams.
![Photo of ACPS Teacher of the Year Nicole Harris [Courtesy of Jackie Johnson]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/46e23593-39b3-4317-ba7f-eee5743abfe7.sized-1000x1000.jpeg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
The Robert W. Hughes Teacher of the Year Celebration selected Harris as the winner among two other finalists during a virtual livestream Jan. 21. Harris will represent the Alachua County Public School District in the 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year Program.
The 17-year-old Eastside High School senior has volunteered more than 500 hours at Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, GRACE Marketplace and the Farm Share — all while being the captain of her cross country and soccer teams and student body president with a 4.7 GPA.
After the first week of spring classes, 144 ACPS students and staff were in quarantine. These cases have been attributed to recreational activities and gatherings, not campus spread.
As of Friday afternoon, ACPS has 81 active COVID-19 cases, according to the school district’s COVID-19 dashboard. This week, 258 are in quarantine — an increase of more than 100 since last week.
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