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