Northern students on returning to online learning after spring break

Spring break is over, but it might not feel that different for some high school kids because they're not going to school.

While online learning started across the province this week, students in Sudbury and Manitoulin have been learning online for weeks now.

Bailey Mitchell and Portia Rajotte are just returning to the online experience this week.

"I can't say I'm super excited about it so little. You know, there's more hours to sleep in, that's for sure, without commuting," said Mitchell,a Grade 11 student at l'cole secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord in Blind River.

Rajotte, a Grade 10 student at Notre Dame du Sault in Sault Ste. Marie, says she has mixed feelings.

"There are advantages like Bailey said, no commute is really nice but at the same time, there are disadvantages. [Teachers] aretreating it like we would be at school, just on a camera, but it doesn't work as well."

Mitchell agrees.

"Last year was completely different because it was more independent," she said. "They would send us five videos a week and we would watch those of lectures [or] theywould just send the paperwork and then we had the week to complete it.This time it's more 'go, go, go, stick to the schedule.'"

Rajottenotes the switch from independent learning to a more rigid schedule is made tougher by a lack of school-based activities, like sports.

"We haven't been able to do any sport. We have some activities, because I'm on the student council, we have meetings every Wednesday and we organise a few activities, but it's more limited because of cohorts and all that," Rajotte said.

Mitchell says intramural sports have started up again at her school.

"Before Christmas we had some intramural soccer volleyball but that ended as soon as Christmas started and we had that New Year's Eve lockdown. But we've been able to do activities in cohorts, so that's been pretty great," she said.

"We've done walks outside and treasure hunts, some activities in the gym, some days running around the school. As long as the kids stay in their cohort, they've been pretty easy about it. We only have about 60 kids in the school, so that really helps."

Listen to the interview here.