Golden triangle early college high school welcomes students back for fall semester

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Students at Golden Triangle Early College High School at EMCC are back in class.

It’s a new school, but 10th grader John Tompkins didn’t expect for his classroom to be this empty.

“It’s been weird so far, classes are a lot smaller. Before there were like 10 to 12 people, but now I have class by myself and with people online only. And it’s weird. It takes time to get used to it,” said Tompkins.

Tompkins is one of the students on the hybrid schedule for the semester.

“We do better in social interactions. That’s my best way of learning is hands-on actually,” said Tompkins.

Principal Jill Savely, says the other half of the student population opted for virtual classes.

“While they are in class, we have a group of virtual students that work with the teacher and with students from home during that time. It’s usually with the teams’ program,” said Savely.

Savely says the school year is going to be a challenge with all the new changes.

That’s why instructors are going the extra mile to keep students up to speed.

“Our teachers are holding office hours each day so that students can log in and meet with them one on one or in small groups. This allows them to follow up or take care of things that they didn’t quite understand. They can go back through information so I think communication is going to be huge,” said Savely.

For advanced courses, GTECH will mirror the institution’s schedule.

“Our students are also enrolled in college classes with EMCC, so we will follow EMCC protocol as far as how those classes will be offered whether face to face or virtual,” said Savely.

For safety precautions, the school installed hand sanitizer stations throughout the hallways and only allowing one-way traffic between classes.