Although it was short lived, many students recently went back into the building to experience a bit of normalcy with in-person learning. Many were eager to be back, while others found their experience more troubling than enjoyable. Below are some quotes from upperclassmen and their opinions regarding their experience in the building before they were required to return back to remote:

“The first week I went I felt pretty skeptical about it because I thought I wasn’t getting anything out of it that I wasn’t already doing at home. In more recent weeks, it felt a lot more normal with the seniors and has definitely changed how I view the hybrid schedule. It’s really beneficial getting to learn from  your teachers face to face.” -Abby Hanlon, Junior

“I’ve had a lot of trouble staying motivated with remote learning and using my time to really get work done. As soon as I went into school, I felt so much more attentive during class and was getting so much more work done with my free time.” -Lyla Walsh, Junior

“I was excited to just be back in the school and see people and teachers I haven’t seen in a while. I liked being able to be in school with my classmates, it’s more fun than just sitting on a google meet alone in my room.” -Evie Frentzas, Senior

“I personally really enjoyed going back to school for those two short days simply because it made life feel a little bit more normal. After so many weeks of school in my room, it was nice to escape that. It was nice to have company and see people that I haven’t in months.” -Avery Ellis, Senior

“I loved being back in the building and seeing all of my favorite teachers in person. I paid more attention in each of my classes and was much more organized. A change of scenery was much needed.” -Avery Robb, Senior

“I loved being back and I’m super bummed it was so short-lived. Although we weren’t fully back in our normal environment, it still was good to have a taste of what life was like back when it was ‘normal.’ It was just cool to have that atmosphere again of being surrounded by your peers, socializing, being able to sit down and engage with your teachers, and be able to have a taste of the cafeteria food. And although e-learning has definitely been running smoothly, it’s just not the same as really being back in the traditional learning environment.” -Elsa Goldsberry, Senior

“Being in person was honestly much more rewarding than I thought it would be. The staff did a wonderful job of enforcing the need for distancing. In turn, the students were complying, which makes everything so much easier in the long run. I had some classes of four people and some classes often, so it was really a different experience every period. I think, if it were to continue, in-person learning would help me develop a special relationship with the few kids that I interact with on Mondays and Tuesdays.” -Kailey Albus, Senior

“I think that there are negative and positives to both online and in-person learning. E-learning definitely offers more flexibility but it requires a lot of self-motivation! I was eager to get back to school because I believe a large part of learning is the face to face interaction and I hope to be more engaged once I’m back in the classroom again! -Heidi Schoeller, Senior

“Although it was obviously not the same as before, I just liked the feeling of being back in the building. I wish more students and more teachers went back. Most of my classes had less than 3-4 people in them.” -Gage Messner, Senior

“It’s better than sitting at home all day. I would much rather be out seeing my friends and teachers than sitting at my desk at home for the entire school day.” -Richie Hoskins, Senior

“Hybrid was kind of strange, to say the least. On the positive side of things, I can get a lot more done in person and typically learn a bit better, especially with a teacher in person and a good 6-8 students in the classroom. But it’s really frustrating and lonely when you’re back at home and don’t have all that constant social interaction when everyone’s in the building and the number of teachers and the class sizes are normal. It was nothing like it used to be and I took it all for granted when everyone was in-person. I never thought I’d miss day-to-day experiences such as getting a smile or a wave from people in the halls, asking a teacher questions after class to have a problem explained, or having a quick conversation with a friend or student which is nearly impossible to do without being disruptive because of the socially distanced desks. I think that hybrid learning has been a step in the right direction as it has become increasingly difficult to advance in my studies in my tougher classes, but this is nowhere near the normalcy that I imagined for my senior year. We have to make the best of what we’ve got, but it’s difficult to do when it seems that a part of our childhood has been stolen and little progress to normalcy has been made even with the sustained efforts of hundreds of parents.” -Casey Hippel, Senior

While some students chose to go into the building, many others chose to stick with their routine of learning from home. With COVID-19 cases rising, the majority of remote students decided that they didn’t want to take the risk of possible exposure in a school environment. Here are their opinions on why they decided to stay remote:

“I’m staying remote because doing school at home gives me more flexibility throughout the day and I have already gotten really used to learning at my house.” -Kiley Rabjohns, Senior

“Although many others would argue otherwise, e-learning has been solely beneficial for me. With online classes from the comfort of my own home and workspace, I have the time and accessibility to complete all of my assignments, stay organized, as well as the freedom that I am not granted with in-school learning. This week I entered the building for the first time since March. I can guarantee that students will not fulfill their social expectations from in-school learning. The hallways and stairwells are divided with tape and arrows, and classrooms and cafeterias are filled with only a couple of desks. I am looking forward to obtaining the most at-home learning time as possible, and to taking advantage of its convenience.” -Sophia Van Der Woert, Junior

“I don’t regret my decision of choosing to stay fully remote, even though I would love to be in school. I feel that by staying fully remote I have more of a free will on choosing what I can and cannot do. I feel if I were to be back in school given the new regulations, I would feel very confined which is not how I want to remember my senior year. By being remote, I can still study with friends and be around them without the strict regulations.” -Carley Walker, Senior

“I went into school for one day because I at least wanted to say I gave it a chance. I then decided to just stay home because almost none of my teachers will be there and might as well e-learn with my friends at home then not even see them in class.” -Louise Brickman, Junior

“I feel like remote learning was definitely the best decision for me. My dad has a compromised immune system, so I didn’t want to take any risk in exposing myself for his sake, but I also felt like going to school two days a week for only a few weeks would be an unnecessary and stressful disruption to what I’ve become accustomed to. Plus, half of my teachers are remote and a lot of my friends are remote, and from watching my peers who are at school, it seems like being fully remote is just a lot easier to navigate and learn effectively. I’ve gotten used to being remote, so I know how to make the most of my learning. Being fully remote has made things a lot less stressful for me and I think safer too.” -Margot Pierce, Senior

“Although I think the school has done an amazing job with reopening and ensuring all the children as well as faculty’s safety, I made the choice to stay remote. After trying one day in school, I felt a little more distracted and less comfortable than I feel when I’m at home, especially due to the fact I’ve been in this “at home” routine for a while now. The change of scenery was surely different, but I found myself a lot less productive than if I were at home.” -Bea Pierce, Junior

“Almost all of my teachers are remote, so I decided that staying home would be a better option for me. I am finally getting into a routine after three months, so I didn’t want to have to readjust.” -Katherine Graham, Senior

“I’m choosing to stay remote for this semester because COVID is an extremely serious issue and I want to do everything I can to prevent it from spreading. Also, learning from the comfort of my own home has taken the stress off of an already chaotic senior year which has been a huge help.” -Abby Clarke, Senior

“Why go back if all of my teachers are remote? It’s not worth getting COVID if i’m going to be doing the same thing that I would be doing at home.” -Michael Hartman, Senior

“I would rather be in school working with my teachers than at home all day, but none of them are attending school so it’s pointless to even go in looking for the one on one workspace with my teachers. Also I have issues regarding health in my family therefore I can’t risk going to school with a bunch of kids and bringing something home.” -Max Edison, Senior

“I chose remote because all of my teachers are remote so what’s the point in going into the school to do the same thing that I’m doing at home.” -Chase Breidenbach, Senior 

“I decided to stay fully remote just because I feel more comfortable and safer in my own home rather than in a building with a bunch of people and all the new strict guidelines. My family decided that all my siblings and I should stay remote because two of my siblings are at higher risk due to medical reasons.  I personally like it better than in school because I’m in the comfort of my own home and I can sleep in a little later and don’t have to worry about getting dressed and ready.  The only thing I don’t like is sitting on my computer all day, but other than that I think it’s better to stay home.” -Sophie Burke, Senior 

“I decided to stay home because I feel that going in for hybrid would affect my time management that I’ve gotten from doing remote. Most of my teachers weren’t going back as well so I would be getting the same experience at home. I like remote learning because it has taught me to become more organized and I like working from the comfort of my home without a mask.” -Sara Reynolds, Senior

“Logistically speaking it made no sense to go back to school since all my teachers were still remote. I’d rather be on the computer all day at home than at school.” -Charlie Weisberg, Senior

“I head that in person wasn’t that great, and the majority of my teachers are remote as well so being on a google meet at home seemed better than being in school on that same meet ” -Josca Schabacker, Senior

“I like it better at home because I enjoy the freedom of being able to work where I want. Most of my teachers wouldn’t be there so it would basically be remote but inside school. This is what made me want to stay home.” -Patrick Lee, Junior