With the first semester of school over, the Prairie South School Division are breathing a sigh of relief.

The year has been anything but normal for administration, staff, and students, with guidelines leading up to the school year seemingly changing on a weekly basis.

Director of Education with the Prairie South School Division, Tony Baldwin

Director of Education for the Prairie South School Division, Tony Baldwin, says the teachers within his division deserve a ton of credit.

"I think they've been under an enormous amount of pressure in a bunch of different ways, but I think we've had a good run here from September to Christmas. The best teaching and learning happens when children, teachers, and staff are together in the schools, so every day that we can do that means better outcomes for kids in Prairie South schools."

And while teachers were able to adapt and make the most of the situation, what about students?

"Kids are pretty adaptable creatures," says Baldwin, "I think they've done really well adapting. There have been lots of things that have been challenging for people my age that I think the kids have just taken in stride. For the most part, we tried to give them a normal school experience, as normal as it can be during a global pandemic, and I think they made out just fine."

As for 2021, Baldwin says it's impossible to tell what that semester will look like, but that Prairie South has been very fortunate to have only had a few positive COVID cases within their schools. He goes on to say that they've learned during the pandemic that every day can be a new experience, but that they're ready to tackle whatever happens next.