Throughout the 2020-’21 school year, mask wearing has been a mandatory requirement for attending school during the pandemic.

Although mask wearing can be a change from the norm, it is a school rule created to protect the students of Homestead.

Grace Kay, sophomore, said, “I have only ever seen one student without a mask who refused to put it on when a classmate told him to.”

While the safety of students and faculty is in the hands of the people inside the building, other people, like Bill Nye, who is a well known scientist for kids, have also made an effort to increase mask wearing everywhere.

Bill Nye created a video to help people understand the reasons on why people should wear a mask. Students already wear masks, but videos like these are always a bonus for helping students understand the reasons why.

Students in the building must wear a mask for 7-8 hours a day. Michaela Fraley, English teacher, said, “masks tend to ‘stick’ to your face, especially during public speaking.” This can cause challenges for students, but teachers as well who can usually be found teaching for about 3 hours per class.

Mask wearing will prevent the spread of Covid-19 and will eventually decrease the amount of cases found in the world. When students wear masks they are complying to the rules set by the district to prevent the spread of the virus. By continuing to wear them we can “slow the spread of covid-19,” the CDC website said.

Homestead students can be seen wearing masks throughout the school day.

Sylvia Sampe, sophomore, agrees that masks play a part in preventing the virus from spreading. “We can all help keep everyone safe by wearing them,” Sampe said.

The lives of Homestead students have been changed by the events of the past year. Regardless, “masks are a simple barrier to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others,” the CDC website said, which is why wearing a mask is a necessity for the months ahead.