Echoing the feeling of many classmates, juniors Zoey Dunkle and Kaitlyn Ventre and sophomore Morgan Stellabotte feel unprepared for upcoming school years. Covid left the students feeling uncertain as they reentered the “normal” school schedule. 

“I feel like I did worse last year because I was at home, and I wasn’t in an environment filled with people. I was just home all alone not really asking questions or emailing my teachers, and I feel like it’s more of an opportunity that I have now coming back to school and getting that environment that I need and getting the daily schedule that I didn’t have last year,” Stellabotte said. 

“I did better because school was a lot harder to learn, but we were more able to use our resources with tests and assignments. I ended up actually doing a lot better compared to how I did the year before … not compared to how I’m doing this year. I’m doing better currently now than I did last year,” Ventre said,

Going back to “normal” has been a huge question for many people. There have been many changes to the lesson plans, how lessons were taught and how teachers taught in general. Some teachers switched their lesson plans from completely virtual to partly or even fully pencil and paper. 

“More teachers are using online resources on a regular basis; I don’t like the teachers who submit every assignment through Google classroom currently. I mean it helps going to Google classroom and seeing what assignments I still have to do, but I don’t want to take pictures of my math homework,” Ventre said. 

Students often ponder what the year would be like if Covid-19 never happened.

“There would be no masks. We would be able to work in a group setting. We could have assemblies again, pep rallies and get together as a school. It would be so much fun,” Ventre said.

The students are mixed on how they feel about this year and how they feel about next year.

“As a student I struggle with ADHD, so it’s sometimes hard to focus especially when it’s loud in the classroom. But I hope at some point my grades get better than what they are now because I feel like school is really important to me,” Stellabotte said.

“I think I’ll be ready for next year. [It] Just scares me thinking about being a senior,” Dunkle said.