With the start of the new quarter, around 250 students who were virtual have now rejoined the in-person population.
“When I first got here, my expectations were that it would be a lot worse than it actually was since I was doing good online,” freshman Ariana Edwards said. “But when I actually joined, I saw all my friends again and it made coming to school a lot more enjoyable.”
This year is quite different than those in the past, and students had lots of expectations about the new rules regarding COVID-19 being very strict and heavily enforced. Ever since the start of the new quarter, they’ve been able to see the reality.
The transition between online and on campus has been difficult for many, especially for freshmen, since this is their first year in high school. Many can agree that although it was difficult, the transition was definitely worth it to get a better experience in school.
“While online, everything was just more or less shoved onto us with little to no explanation on the assignment,” sophomore Angelena Willis said. “It’s definitely easier in school because you can get a better explanation of work.”
“When I did online, I mostly was working by myself and trying to figure things out on my own,” Edwards said. “While this did lead to me having a lot of extra time in the day, I also was struggling a bit [with] navigating all the assignments being thrown at me. Online and in-school are similar, however, because I noticed that the assignments are still very similar to online, just with a little more instruction from the teacher.”
In addition to the change in the learning environment, there are also changes in the new students’ social environment.
“I’m glad to see all my friends again, but the social distancing rules and new lunches make it difficult to keep up with them,” a sophomore, who preferred to stay anonymous, said. “Although I understand why the rules are there, it still sucks not being able to be with them as much.”
However, staying connected with friends virtually can be a more difficult task compared to in-person. Many can agree that this is why they made the switch.
“There’s not a lot of interaction online,” an anonymous sophomore said. “You can’t really get to know your teachers or fellow classmates like you can on campus.”
“I’m just so excited to be back,” Willis said. “Seeing all my friends again is really nice, as well as actually being able to understand assignments for once. I haven’t been back for long, but I’ve already decided that it is so much better than online.”
