Ripon High senior Mackenzie Jautaikis was thrilled seeing the many familiar faces at school on Monday.

She and her fellow students at Ripon High were back in the classroom for the first time since the novel COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year. Instead, they were stuck at home completing their education online via distance learning.

“It was fun seeing everyone again,” Jautaikis said of her first day back.

Ripon High opened with Red Week under the modified block schedule.

According to Ripon Unified School District Superintendent Ziggy Robeson, this meant longer classes but less movement and moving around of students on campus.

For the first time in eight months, she was pleased to have most students outside of distance learning back in the classroom. District-wide, TK through 12th grade were back on campus with all the safety protocols in place, representing the new normal.

“That was always our goal since March,” Robeson said of Day 1 of in-person learning at RHS.

The elementary school sites transitioned back incrementally a few months ago with students and a few cohorts of the Career Technical Education classes at RHS making their return in late October.

RUSD regularly followed the COVID-19 statistics in monitoring San Joaquin County’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. In turn, numerous procedures and protocols were implemented.

RHS senior Jayce Duncan was OK on his return to school. “I had no troubles getting ready today and no issues at all with my classes,” he said.

Ditto that for senior Tyla Branham, junior Jordan Tarasoff and junior Riley Rangel – they’ve long waited for this day.

Keith Rangel enjoyed the vibe on campus.

“I saw a lot of smiles from staff,” Rangel said.