There’s an undeniable feeling among St. Pius X students when a virtual day is announced. As an official school day, virtual days not only allow students to complete their schoolwork at their own pace, but also give them the opportunity to stay home.

“Virtual days have proven to be beneficial to students and their learning. It not only gives them a mental break, but these days also facilitate different learning environments,” said Dean of Students Ms. Rachel Braham.

Virtual days are nothing new on the administrative side of St. Pius. Other private schools in the metro Atlanta area were already experimenting with virtual days before COVID-19 made them an official part of many school schedules.

“We started with one-third of my students being in person, then the other two-thirds online, but there was never a balance. The students’ grades online were always lower than in person, and I could never give my best teaching to students in the classroom,” said Dean of Academics Mr. Jason Eaglen.

A similar issue continues during virtual days today. Although students can sleep in and work on assignments at their own pace, learning at home is not the same as in-person education.

“There is nothing better than in-person teaching. There just isn’t. Our students do better with teachers, and teachers do better with students,” said Mr. Eaglen.

Teacher feedback over the years has mostly concerned assignment due dates and the amount of work assigned to students. Administrators have also established guidelines for the amount of work that should be provided depending on the level of the class: College Preparatory (CP), College Preparatory Advanced (CPA), and Honors/AP.

Ms. Braham said, “We’ve received student feedback asking for assignments to be posted earlier and due times to be pushed back. We’ve tried to improve this so that, on our side, we can expect more productivity from students.”

Despite the overall approval of virtual days, teachers and faculty members still recognize the importance of in-person teaching — although many also enjoy the chance to sleep in.