A Winnipeg school is celebrating a full return to the classroom; a first since pandemic restrictions began.
For the past two school years, the halls at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute (MBCI) have been emptier than usual. A quiet music room and faces on screens became the norm for the school, like many others, throughout the pandemic.
"We were having small groups here for the purposes that were allowed, but in terms of all these students together, the last time would be before we went to the Restricted Level Orange last year," Principal Andrea Buller says, noting that the school would alternate days between online and in-person.
Now, Wednesday will see all of their students hit the books in person.
"We are very energized to be back," she says. "We feel we have come back stronger than when we went into it."
Radiating positivity, Buller knows gratitude and sharing will give them the energy to keep going, using their Christian faith as the "glue" keeping them together.
The principal says she wants students to be encouraged to flourish and learn with confidence as they return.
"We want to connect our students to the things that have been good about the pandemic time and as we continue through with the unpredictability be as ready as possible. But the students are the heart of our work and they're the evidence that of the vision at work here for us."
The school will welcome approximately 400 students in Grades 5 to 12, adding more than 100 new students this year.