It has also left many pupils feeling a little despondent.
So the school held a Sunshine Day yesterday, where everyone dressed in yellow, to raise spirits again and celebrate getting through the lockdown.
The school also hopes to put "the buzz" back into school life with its inaugural St Hilda’s Festival of Arts, to be held from June 24-26.
Deputy principal Geraldine Corkery said creative artists from around Dunedin had already been invited to perform at the new festival, and the school had brought in the Dunedin Fringe Festival organisers to assist with curating the programme which draws heavily from the recently cancelled 2020 Fringe Festival.
She said she was inspired to create the event after noticing the school was "eerily quiet" following the Level 2 restart.
"With no arts, cultural or sports practices, students remarked there was nothing to do at lunchtimes.
"So we decided to bring in local artists to provide uplifting, inclusive, and interactive activities in all the wonderful spaces we have on campus."
She said the Festival of the Arts was being resourced from funds that would have gone into term 2 extracurricular activities, including the biennial school production, the Big Sing choir competition and a planned trip to a choral festival in Canberra, Australia.
One of the 12 festival events has been organised by the school’s artist-in-residence Eliana Gray.
Over three lunchtimes, the award-winning poet is offering pupils the opportunity to create a poetry quilt, which would be displayed at the conclusion of the festival.
Textile artist Jane Siddal and magician Jonathan Usher have already boosted school morale to "great effect", she said.
Other festival events include Gasp! Dance Inclusive; White Men (a play by St Hilda’s alumna Abby Howells); a live graffiti battle from Otepoti Hip-Hop Hustle; and an improvised musical called Play it By Ear.
Dunedin Fringe Festival director Gareth McMillan was full of praise for the initiative.
"I think St Hilda’s should be commended for investing in their students’ wellbeing and for supporting local creatives.
"The arts sector is really hurting right now and it’s wonderful to offer some performers the opportunity to present the work they had developed for the fringe, and assist them recover from the financial impact of Covid-19."
It was hoped the St Hilda’s Festival of the Arts would become a regular event on the school’s calendar.
