TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo School for the Arts (TSA) welcomed students back to the classroom on Monday, after they'd been learning virtually since the start of the school year.
"I definitely woke up earlier than expected because I was so excited and nervous at the same time. I've been waiting for this since August when school started," TSA senior, Cecelia Monteiro said.
Monteiro is one of hundreds of students at TSA who returned to full-time in-person learning for the first time in over a year. She said she was ready for things to start feeling like normal again.
As an art school, TSA Director Doug Mead said it was so important to get kids back in the classroom to have that hands-on experience.
"You hear percussion going on in one room, dance routines going on in another and it's just a sense of, this is what this building is supposed to sound like," Mead said. "These are the experiences we're built to provide the students and it's great that we're finally able to get back today".
Like every school, TSA had to make many changes to accommodate having students back in the building.
Mead said after months of waiting, they really felt confident returning.
TSA students said they noticed those changes as soon as they walked through the front doors.
"We get temperature checks which is really nice. And then the stairways are one-directional, which avoids the flow of face-to-face better," Monteiro said.
Now that TSA is back, Monteiro said she's most looking forward to participating in some of the events seniors have missed out on and dancing with her classmates again.
RELATED VIDEO