Cardinal Newman High School students return to Santa Rosa campus

Cardinal Newman High School welcomed nearly all of its students back to its Santa Rosa campus this week, separated into two groups of about 225 students each.

The first group returned Monday and the second group arrived Thursday morning to music, free muffins and a sea of gold and cardinal red.

For some freshman, this was their first day attending classes on campus. The school’s student council led their peers in a traditional game-day cheer as students sat in the stands before heading toward their classrooms.

About 90 students have chosen to continue with distance learning from home, said Lisa Sousa, associate director of advancement and communications. For now, the students on campus will come either Mondays and Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays, depending on what group they are in. All students work from home on Wednesdays.

The school plans to increase students’ time on campus beginning April 12. County and state adoption of new federal guidance advising a minimum of 3 feet of distance between students in the classroom will allow more students to be on campus at one time. Students will still not be on campus Wednesdays, except for participation in various extracurricular activities, Sousa said, but will be able to attend class in person all four other days.

Many of Sonoma County’s public high schools are on spring break this week, but several plan to begin bringing students back onto campus in a hybrid learning setup in early April.