“It’s been a long time since I went back to school, like actual school,” Mendoza said.
“Very excited because I’m going to make new friends and get new teachers,” chimed in Berny Maqueo, who will begin at Eastlake Middle School on Wednesday.
“I’m OK with everything, but if it would have been normal, that would have been cool,” Maqueo added.
While the schools will reopen for students that wish to return to in-person learning, students will still be required to wear face masks.
“I’m fine with that but the mask, if it’s hot, it’s going to be hard to breathe,” said rising sixth-grader Kyra Madrigal. “I kind of wish it was, like, back to normal. We could sit by our friends, sit by whoever we want.”