When Lincoln High School reopened for in-person classes in August 2020 for the first time since March, Marlana Saalfeld was not among the students to return.

Saalfeld, a three-sport athlete and student council member, has chosen to learn full-time remotely from her home in central Lincoln, where she lives with her mother, Stephanie.

Her grandparents also live in Lincoln and Saalfeld – who likes to visit them – is worried about their health as the coronavirus spreads.

“They play a very important role in our life, so just with them in the high risk category, I thought it was important that I stay home so as not to endanger them,” Saalfeld said, 16 years old. home Thursday.

But a lot has changed since last August. Saalfeld, like many of his peers, is fully vaccinated. And so last Tuesday, her first day as a high school student, she joined hundreds of other students across Lincoln to make the long-awaited return to a physical classroom.

“I actually loved it, just being able to connect with people, see friends that I haven’t seen in a long time and just connect with teachers,” she said. “I just wanted to socialize with people.”

In sophomore, Saalfeld would still go to Lincoln High for athletic practice – she competes in volleyball, basketball and track and field – and for student council meetings, where she is now vice-president.