MILWAUKEE — It's an exciting day at Riverside University High School and for other high schools throughout the Milwaukee Public School District as they welcome seniors and underclassmen back into the classrooms, the last batch of students to return to in-person learning.
"We're kind of excited. We're just happy that we get a chance to be here for a little bit of time for our last year," said Riverside University High School senior, Quantiera Binghan.
Best friends and seniors Elijah Levi and Quantiera Bingham say after spending more than a year doing classes online, they're thrilled to be back in school.
"It's been kind of a stressful year, like dealing with, worrying about online stuff and worrying about the WiFi. You know, just online problems," said Binghan.
MPS seniors and underclassmen in danger of failing classes were allowed to return to in-person learning Monday. These were the last groups of students to return as part of the school district's reopening plan. On April 14, students in kindergarten through 3rd grade returned to in-person learning, then came those in grades 4-8 the following week.
"I feel happy, much better, because I can't stand doing virtual," said senior Brittany Davis.
Freshman Baehler Ye says since going virtual, she's had a hard time keeping her grades up in some of her classes.
"I've been struggling in some classes, but I think I can get through it now because I'm back in school. It's been difficult for me to do everything virtually because it's all day, just staring at the screen," said Ye.
According to Milwaukee Public School officials, as of Friday, a total of 23,558 students have registered for in-person learning, and that's not including the high schoolers who returned to the classroom Monday.
"Everybody has their own way of learning. Hands-on, she learns better in a classroom setting, versus virtual learning. There isn't any better place to be in school learning with their masks on," said one parent, Alicia Jackson.
When it comes to being safe, the same rules apply for high schoolers, which include mandatory masking wearing, social distancing and not sharing any materials.